


A Life with no Function

by BlueAlmond



Series: Defenders of the Insurgency [1]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Age isn't just a number, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Dystopia, Fluff and Angst, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-05-16 17:42:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14815887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueAlmond/pseuds/BlueAlmond
Summary: The world is functioning quite well, if you ask Thomas. Thomas is a vampire, though, so his opinion might not reflect that of the humans.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Some of the definitions of "function" are:  
> Professional or official position (occupation).  
> The action for which a person or thing is specially fitted or used or for which a thing exists (purpose).

James was sitting frozen in front of the vampire. He knew he liked him, and if he were to do what he wanted, he might even get to work legally again, but at the same time he was terrified to even think of what the vampire might want. What if he was some kind of pervert, or a sadist? He almost shivered just with the thought.

“Please, try to calm down,” muttered the vampire with a tenderness that felt too distant to be authentic. “I understand you’re not comfortable in my presence yet, but I’m hopeful time will change that.” He took a long sip of his glass—filled with an unsettling dark red liquid—and leaned back in the couch, resting an elbow in the backrest. “You are very interesting, and I don’t really like when others take a liking on things I’m interested in.”

“Why are you interested in me?”

The vampire stared at him for a moment, looking like he might be considering his words. “You know how the public system works, right? Why all adult humans must donate every three months?”

“Yes. The council guarantees a certain amount of blood for all of you, and in exchange, we don’t get killed.”

“Basically, yes,” the vampire chuckled. “But you see, not all vampires follow the rules. And to some, the dose given by the council isn’t enough. That’s why we have, as most industries, the private alternative.”

“Private.”

“Yes,” he nodded. “You see, we do not get our weekly dose, but the human we use to feed doesn’t have to donate to the public system either. It’s quite an agreement. Also, the human in these contracts usually gets a lot of benefits, for example, unlimited protection. Everyone, at least every vampire, would know you belong to me, and they wouldn’t dare to touch you. I’m quite… important, in the vampire community, you see.”

The human gulped, nervously. The offer sounded more and more tempting with each word the vampire uttered, but was it really a good idea? Donating blood once every three months wasn’t that bad, and you got paid, but what would he have to do if he actually accepted the vampire’s offer? And he could forget all about his pride and dignity, since he would be becoming a pet, or under the best circumstances, a feeding bag.

It was true that when the vampires organized and decided to take over the world, they did so with terrible speed. In less than two years, no one believed in the victory of humanity, and in five the industrialization of blood donations became the best bet at survival with a little bit of dignity. Many companies kept doing what they were doing, though most CEO’s were replaced by vampires, but regular employees got to keep their jobs, if they agreed to certain rules. Eventually, blood donations became obligatory for all adults, and restrictions were reduced.

Legislation no longer harbors anyone’s safety, but at least crowded streets in the middle of the day can be considered secure for those that try to keep on living functional lives. Still, not everyone had that luck. Certain industries, like show business, were totally dismantled with all artists replaced by vampires. Unemployed humans have little choices and most, even against their will, end up as pets to wealthy vampires. The resistance, the fighters were all exterminated in the first two years, so now…

‘ _Is it worth it, to resist this? He made perfectly clear how I don’t really have any other choice, if I refuse, he would only chase me…_ ’

“You can take your time to answer, of course, though… has anyone ever drunk your blood, directly from your neck?”

“N-no. Never.”

“That’s good. Don’t let anyone else do it. It can actually be quite painful, even if the vampire doesn’t want it to be. You require some practice, instinct isn’t everything. Lucky for you, I know how to make it pleasurable.”

‘ _I am so screwed_ ’, thought James, gloomily.

He left the oversized building still in shock, though not enough not to pay attention to the styled bushes and tall windows that felt so out of place but looked beautiful with the moonlight reflected on them. The car that had picked him up in Manhattan was waiting for him, the driver playing in his phone looking as bored as he’d been that afternoon, but when their eyes met, this time he smirked. “Where to?”

“Uh, where you picked me up this afternoon would be fine.”

The driver nodded and opened the back door for him, then closed it almost softly if it was compared to the slam from earlier.

“I can take you closer to your apartment, if you want.”

“You know where I live?”

“No,” he saw the man’s smirk through the mirror, “but you could tell me.”

“Oh,” James felt stupid. “Sure, uh… it’s actually only a few blocks from there.” He shrugged and looked awkwardly out the window. He didn’t like the change in the atmosphere, the sudden… camaraderie. He just wanted to get home, maybe even go to the store to get the eggs he’d been trying to buy when a stranger had come up to him with a letter prompting him to get into a suspiciously expensive black car to meet with a vampire out of the city. He’d never been suicidal, so logically, his reaction hadn’t been the most positive.

“Yes,” the driver nodded, “you once had money to spare.”

“I…” he sighed, “yeah. And then the world changed.” That was an understatement, but now he really missed the times when the only obstacle between him and his eggs were the occasional fan asking for pictures and autographs.

The driver nodded.

“What was it like to you, before?”

“Oh, I’ve always been a driver. In fact, I always worked for Mr. Jefferson, ever since I got my license.”

“Oh. So the world didn’t actually change that much for you, did it?”

“Well, now if I say that my employer is a vampire, people don’t laugh at me.”

“Yeah, that must be a plus.”

“He’s a good boss, Mr. Jefferson. If you accept whatever he’s offering, you’re not going to regret it.”

He gave the driver a halfhearted smile and went back to look out the window, grateful when the man didn’t try to keep alive the conversation. He wouldn’t know what to say, because he wasn’t even sure what the vampire had offered, but considering how his life had been going, the driver was probably right, he wouldn’t regret it.

James’s routine had been the same for the past three years. He woke up, remembered he didn’t have an actual job, tried not to cry, usually failed, and took a shower. He was pretty much free after that.

Sometimes he would cook, but there was a McDonald’s right across the street—one of the few in New York City that hadn’t been closed after the Insurgency. Apparently, too many fries and burgers turned blood thick and salty or something like that, and the Vampire Council that controlled the world wouldn’t have it. It was quite ironic how the UN never managed to do a damn thing for the world when it was formed by humans, but vampires were prone to follow the rules and humans were prone to obey those that could so easily kill them, and so, the world was ruled by 193 people that would appear on TV from time to time with too wide smiles and always with artificial light, meaning it was either night or underground. It reminded James of malls and subways, and he then would think how humans, allegedly unaware, had been turning the world a friendlier place to vampires.

The truth was that James’s life sucked. He existed, but he wasn’t _living_. He was pitying himself and he didn’t even have a good reason for it. Sure, there were others doing better than him, but there were also a lot doing worse. He needed things to change, but the world wasn’t going to change anytime soon and he wasn’t going to get a job if he stayed staring out his window drinking hot chocolate and writing about his grandmother.

Thomas Jefferson’s place in North Salem wasn’t far enough. The next day he drove there after he took a three hour nap after lunchtime but still arrived before sunset, so he stayed inside his Prius examining his life choices for what felt like an eternity, until a girl using a parasol knocked on his window.

“Mr. Jefferson isn’t up yet, but he told us to let you in whenever you came.”

“Oh, okay.” He cleared his throat and straightened his seat, suddenly finding himself too close to the steering wheel. He blushed, but the girl pretended not to notice—or maybe she wasn’t amused at all by the prospect of having to see much of the pathetic human in the future.

Either way, she guided him through the front door, the parlor and the stairs into a room that looked exactly like the one he’d been in before but was at the other side of the hallway, and had a different set of curtains. One day, he may feel brave enough to ask Jefferson how many studies he had, with a chimney, a piano, a cello and a violin, with endless copies of what definitely looked and smelled like first editions in shelves that went from the floor to the roof, and painfully horrifying chairs. Today wasn’t that day, so he just sat in one of the ugly chairs and sighed, wishing he’d brought at least one notepad with him. He had a writing app on his phone, but ever since he lost two thousand words to a corrupted file he hated it and feared it. He used it anyway, because he had no idea how long he’d be there and he wasn’t touching books that were a hundred years old without the owner near.

A little over a thousand words later, the host came in in a purple robe and slippers to match.

“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Madison! What a lovely sight to wake up to.”

“I’m sure you didn’t just wake up after you entered this room, so your sentence is technically incorrect.”

“Are you always this serious when someone interrupts your writing?”

“Yes.”

The vampire laughed joyfully. “Then if I get you to say yes, my life will be turning much more entertaining.”

“You weren’t particularly specific on exactly what I’d be saying ‘yes’ to.”

“Oh, my company, for starters,” he winked, but his smile was the one of a shark, and Madison gulped. “You could, or could not, move in here. And I would have free access to your blood. On healthy doses, of course, I wouldn’t want you to drop dead on your feet after just a few days, right?”

“Define _healthy_.”

“As much as I can as long as it allows you to continue with your daily routine, darling. I assure you, you won’t even notice it.”

James took a deep breath, and considered the idea of saying no and going back to his place to look out the window. He had sold his piano two months ago. He ran out of eggs last week and he still didn’t buy more. There was a McDonald’s right across the street and he stopped running after his career was over, so the only exercise he got was when he used the stairs to get to his apartment on the third floor and lately, he was getting tired near the end. If only to get out of that monotony that was slowly destroying him, he wanted to say yes.

He wanted to say yes to move to a practically-palace upstate with a vampire he barely met that wanted to drink his blood from time to time, and… and that was it. He would be saying yes to a change of airs, a piano and what currently he was lacking the most: company.

He used to have friends. He had friends in college and then he had friends in every play he wrote, but then the world turned upside down and he stopped answering the phone. He couldn’t stand it, all the dark faces and shattered dreams, but the people that somewhat managed to keep a smile on their face only made it worse, so he isolated himself. He isolated himself five years ago, and now he was _so lonely_.

James took a deep breath, and nodded.

“I’m in.”

“Wonderful! I believe you should move in as soon as you can. I’ll send Mark, that’s my driver, with you for your stuff.”

James could feel the blood leaving his face, and saw the deliverance in the vampire.

“But, uh… I’m sure you want to see the rest of the house first? There are forty three rooms, so feel free to pick whichever you like best. And if that one happens to be mine, I’m sure we can figure something out,” he winked.

James, for the first time in what felt like forever, laughed. The sound seemed to startle the vampire, though he turned smug knowing that was his doing.

“I’d love to check out the place, yes,” he said, slightly out of breath and not quite over his laughter. “You have a beautiful house.”

“It was built by my great, great grandfather a couple of centuries ago, but people say we’re very similar and that it suits me. I couldn’t exactly tell, since I’ve hardly met the man. He’s been lost somewhere in Laos with a lover for the past century. I saw him once, though, when I was like six. I’d rather not tell you how long ago that was.”

“I don’t know why I doubt it was that long ago.”

“Rude! I’ll let you know I’m older than you.”

“Which means you’re less than sixty, or you would’ve said you’re over twice my age.” He didn’t ask how the vampire knew his age. He still had a Wikipedia page with that information.

Mr. Jefferson rolled his eyes. “Alright. I’m only slightly older than you, but that doesn’t matter! I grew up surrounded by people that are hundreds of years old!”

“I imagine it was a lot like living with my mother.”

The vampire burst out laughing. “Come on, let’s start on the first floor, okay? Feel free to use everything in here. You can check every book, play every instrument, just as long as you don’t sell any paintings or furniture—no, really. We had a maid that did that once, it wasn’t nice.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t really know how to use e-bay.”

“Seriously? I have an aunt that’s four hundred and thirty years old and is an addict to e-bay. I swear if she could sell her own teeth she would, and I think she even bought an alpaca once a few years ago. She always makes offers at the last possible minute, the bitch.”

“She sounds… interesting.”

“She’s insufferable! Oh, you should also give a list to the kitchen staff of allergies and that sort of thing. I’d tell you the schedules, but yours are a little different than mine, unless you’d like to join me for breakfast at eight? Not in the morning, of course. At eight in the morning I’m already sleeping. I like having dinner around four in the morning.”

“Yes, no, I don’t think I’ll join you for dinner, but perhaps for breakfast I could.”

“We have a deal!”

Mr. Jefferson loved deals, James learnt that fast. Well, more accurately, he loved _making_ deals, but he wasn’t sure how serious he was about keeping them. In a couple of hours, they toured the entire house and the vampire made him promise dozens of things for the near future, that went from checking one particular section of the library to singing carols next Christmas in the majestic grand piano in the fourth study.

He deduced Mr. Jefferson was just as lonely as he was.

So he went back in his words, and accompanied him for dinner at four in the morning. After the nap he had earlier he wasn’t even slightly tired, and the animated conversation kept him glued to the energetic vampire.

“Call me Thomas, please.”

“But aren’t you my boss, Mr. Jefferson?”

The vampire frowned, and pouted, which James found oddly charming, and so he said: “If it’ll make you happy, I won’t mind saving some time by calling you that, and of course, you’ll have to call me James.”

“It’ll make me happy.”

“Good,” he smiled, and not for the first time that night, he noticed that his smiles came so easily in the man’s presence when they hardly ever did lately. He cleared his throat and emptied his glass of wine. “The sun’s about to come out… I think I should go, so I can start packing.”

“Oh, sure. That’s a good idea.”

“Sleep well, Thomas.” He nodded, and left. Mark was outside, waiting, openly grinning even though it was freezing outside and it was almost six in the morning.

“When are you moving, man?”

James didn’t answer right away. He sat and raised the temperature of his side of the car, even though it was already warm inside. “As soon as I get everything packed,” he announced then, glanced at the smiling man, and looked out the window, “after I sleep a little.”

“Cool, then I’ll wait in the car.”

James stared at him. “What? No. Don’t be ridiculous. I could sleep for hours.”

“So?”

He groaned. “Just… at least, come with me inside and wait in my couch.”

The driver shrugged. “Okay.”

He didn’t like having strangers in his apartment, but he was tired enough that he fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow. Six hours later, he woke up with a start, disoriented and exhausted. The sun through his open curtains burned his eyes and the noise didn’t stop, but increased in volume instead, so he hurried to his kitchen only to found Mark there, putting his pots and cutlery on boxes.

“Oh hey, I decided I could get a start on things. You’re not really going to need this stuff but I already finished with the living room, so…”

“Wait, you did,” he shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “Thank you, Mark, really, but that wasn’t necessary.”

“But the sooner we finish with this, the sooner we can go, right?”

James sighed, heavily. “Yes. You’re right.”

“And believe me, it’s better if you’re done before Mr. Jefferson wakes up. Otherwise, he’ll try to help, and,” he grinned, “I believe he likes purple a little too much, at least to my taste. Now, if you don’t mind…”

“No, you’re right. Just… go get some more boxes and I’ll do the rest, okay?”

“You don’t like strangers touching your stuff, I get it. It’s fine, I’ll start taking down the boxes I already made.”

James wasn’t sure if it was strangers or simply Mark, but either way, he didn’t want the guy going through his shampoo or, God forbid, his closet.

He honestly thought it would take him longer, but he didn’t own that many things. His entire wardrobe filled two suitcases, and most of his books were in his living room, which Mark had already emptied. Most of the furniture came with the place, aside from his bed, and a single armchair he was definitely taking with him, but overall, the black car had enough space for them both and all his boxes. If that made him feel even more pity for himself, he tried not to let Mark notice, though it seemed like nothing could ruin the man’s day, and while he had found it annoying at first, eventually during the ride he caught the mood too. He was moving, and in a few hours he would have breakfast with Mr. Jefferson and the man probably would try to help him redecorate his bedroom anyway. He already had picked one the day before, and his chest felt a little lighter when he thought of the view from his huge window and how the vampire would probably insist he would need to fill his closet—and he was certain the clothes he fitted in two suitcases wouldn’t even occupy half of it. He didn’t stop to think how easy it was to think of the room as his. He was oddly optimistic, and he wanted to stay that way.

 

Three days later, his optimism started to feel forced, and was quickly being replaced by the so familiar anxiety.

“Aren’t you going to do it?” he asked finally after breakfast. The night was young but unlike the man in front of him, James had been awake for five hours and had enough wine in his system that he couldn’t keep his mouth shut any longer. He didn’t need to specify what he was talking about though, and for that, he was thankful. He was stressed, but not enough as to go and ask to another grown man when he was going to bite him.

The vampire smirked but shook his head. “No, not yet,” he crossed his legs and supported his chin in one hand. “Tell me about your work. I was a fan of your plays, you know? I’ve seen them all.”

The human smiled dejectedly. “No, not all of them.”

Jefferson frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I know for a fact that there is one you haven’t seen, that’s all,” he shrugged. “No one has, actually.”

“Oh! You mean you wrote one that never got produced?” The vampire looked oddly excited, so Madison, hunching in his seat, trying to make himself even smaller in the large sofa, muttered:

“Yeah…”

“Amazing! Tell me what it was about.”

“How is this amazing?”

“Well, because I’ll produce it, of course, dummy. Come on, tell me all about it.”

James started the narrative with reticence, the vampire’s enthusiasm quite intimidating, but as the story progressed and the interest didn’t go away, he grew more comfortable. He had written both, fantasy and lifetime stories before, but this was some weird in between for him that might even come off as offensive to the man listening, so there wasn’t the usual confidence he felt when telling a story for the first time. He’d always known he had good ideas, and hadn’t been this nervous since college, where he got his first confidence boost, courtesy of a professor. Obviously he couldn’t hope the world agreed entirely, but after he won his first Tony he always felt like he had the upper hand when talking to producers. He had known he was offering a product easy to sell, so even when he was leaving his soul bare as he presented the songs, he ultimately knew someone out there would like it. This new story, he wasn’t so sure about, and the man in front of him was his only sample of the now primary audience.

Once he was done, relief washed through him as Thomas cheered, claiming the play would be an undeniable success, and start a precedent of human-vampire collaborations in show business.

“You really think so?” asked James, incredulous.

“How could you even doubt it? How much of the music do you have already? Could you show me?”

James nodded absentmindedly and went to sit on the piano. He still found it hard to believe, but the vampire’s interest and excitement was undeniable. He brought him a candidate—a vampire newly turned actress that was getting quite famous—the very next day.

“This is Maria Reynolds, and I think she would be good for the role of ‘Gabriela’. What do you think?”

The girl giggled. “Thomas, please. I’m pretty sure this isn’t how an audition works.”

He rolled his eyes. “Well,” he placed his hands on his hips, “then sing something!”

She glared, but turned surprised towards Madison when she heard him laughing.

“Please, go ahead,” he cleared his throat. “I’m sure you can think of something in your repertoire where you can nail a high F?”

She nodded and sang, and in a few seconds James was sold. The vampire’s voice not only was soft and harmonious; she had a large range, an expressive face and was full of emotion that she seemed to be able to transmit almost effortlessly. When it was over, he was close to ask for another song. He clapped instead, and smiled.

“That was very good,” he said.

Thomas grinned. “See? I told you she was good…”

“Mr. Jefferson?” a maid appeared by the door. “There’s someone at the phone from you. It’s from the council.”

The vampire rolled his eyes, but stood up. “Alright, I need to take that. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“Go, Thomas. We’ll be fine without you.”

“Yeah, I doubt that.”

She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head, but he left the room in a fit of giggles.

“I love him but he can be such a child sometimes,” she sighed and sat down the armchair that was closest to the couch in which James was seated. “I’m older than him, you see, but he’s never respected that.”

“And you don’t mention your family every thousand words so I’m guessing you weren’t born a vampire?”

She chuckled. “No, I was not. I got turned by my husband many years ago. Back then I never even considered I could become an actress.”

“You are incredibly talented.”

“I believe the heightened senses have something to do with that. But you see, having the public eye on you when you don’t age is complicated.”

“How is that part with born-vampires? I’m afraid to ask Thomas,” he admitted with a sheepish smile.

“I believe they stop aging when they’re fully grown, but I’m no expert on the subject either. I know Thomas hasn’t changed since he was twenty five, and another friend of mine stopped a little earlier, but I guess it’s around there.”

James nodded thoughtfully. “It must have been lonely, growing up like that, being so… different.”

“I’m sure the sun must have been an ominous thing,” commented Maria.

“Don’t you ever miss it?”

“The sun? Well… I still can remember what it was like to feel it on my skin, and I guess sometimes I miss that. But I don’t miss my life. It wasn’t a good life. I’m glad it’s over.”

“Alright,” Thomas interrupted throwing the door open obstreperously, “sorry that took me so long. I hope Maria didn’t bore you?”

“Not at all.”

“Great, because since she’s hired, we’ll have to tolerate her presence quite often, yes?”

James chuckled. “Well, yes, I’m afraid so.”

Maria looked like she wanted to protest for a second, but then Jefferson’s words sank in, and she covered her mouth with the back of a hand as she chuckled happily. “Are you for real? You’re giving me the part, are you sure? Shouldn’t you hold more auditions?”

“Sure, we will, but there are other characters and we really think you’re good for it.”

They hadn’t discussed it, but James didn’t mention anything. He most certainly would, later, just not in front of Maria. He hugged her, waved as she left still chuckling, and sat back down on the couch, with a pensive look.

“You really liked her, right?” asked the vampire, looking slightly worried.

“I did,” he admitted, “but I very much would like it if you refrained to speak for me, Thomas. I do not disagree with your choice, but it was yours, not ours.”

“This may not be the right time to say this, but I kind of can tell when you really like something? Like, I can smell it,” he grinned awkwardly, “it’s in your blood. Like, the time you tried that chocolate cake Sally made, for the first time. Or whenever you eat ice cream, or when you discovered the third shelf of the library in the second study…” he bit his bottom lip, “or when you heard Maria sing. I’m sorry, I know I overstepped.”

“Yes, you did,” James was pale, though more than furious, he was mortified. “And I don’t know if it’s worse knowing or not this information,” he cleared his throat. “I think I’ll just go to bed.”

“Of course, I understand. I’m sorry.”

He looked sorry, and James sighed. “Let’s just agree that this will be the last private audition, alright? We’ll hold them on a theatre, and no matter how much we like someone, we won’t hire them in the act, okay?”

“Yes, of course, you’re the expert.”

“Damn right I am,” he nodded with a stern look, but then smiled fondly. “Sleep tight, Thomas. And please, for the love of God, don’t ever mention something like that again. I don’t know how to feel about the fact that I _smell_ a certain way when I eat ice cream.

Vampires cannot blush. James had read that a few years back, but something told him that if Thomas could, he would be blushing right then.

After that, they fell into a routine where they would work on the songs, discuss the details of the story, the casting and possible locations, from the moment Thomas woke up, only interrupting it for phone calls in which the vampire would actually speak to the people that were now running the industry. It was fulfilling in the way that it was almost familiar, and exciting in the way that it was not. Thomas was most certainly not an expert, but he was a fan, and had a hearing range considerably wider than James’s, which now he would need to keep in mind since he was openly targeting vampires as an important fraction of the audience. He never had been an early bird, but his new habits and schedules couldn’t be compared to his life before. Nevertheless, he always had known that human beings—perhaps he should get used to talk and think about _people_ instead of _humans_ now—were capable of adapting to almost everything, and soon he found himself getting hungry around four in the morning and longing for his bed merely three hours later. The clearer the room, the sleepier he got, and he no longer felt any shame for waking up after three pm. Oh, if his mother could see him now…

Perhaps she wouldn’t be that mad, for she always prioritized his happiness over most manners—he wouldn’t dream of sneezing without covering his mouth, but the first time she heard him cuss out loud she merely glared for a moment before breaking into a smile. Then again, she must have been happy too. After all, it had been over the acceptance letter of the school he had dreamed of, but… he wasn’t doing anything that terrible. He was being happy, and he thought he was genuinely making Mr. Jefferson, Thomas, happy too.

But still, he didn’t ask for his blood.


	2. Chapter Two

Angelica walked silently through the streets she once had known so well. During the day, they mostly looked the same, but when the sun went down it reminded everyone that the world had turned upside down. It wasn’t hard to recognize a human at night. For starters, vampires could smell them, and even though they tried to be polite, their eyes still drifted and lingered on the few humans that dared to go out. There was a new club not far from her apartment in Bushwick that intended to be exclusive to humans, with two vampires as guards, and aside from two incidents with a drunk, middle-aged looking vampire and two teenage, vampire girls, it seemed like the monsters really were allowing humans that space, but still, the owner confessed to her that not enough people were going, and if the situation didn’t change soon, he would close it.

Humans, herself included, were just too scared.

Life hadn’t been easy before the Insurgency. There had been muggers and murderers and rapists out there, but people never really stopped _living_ because of them. Humans were fighters, most of the time. They weren’t particularly brave, but they had this unhealthy coping mechanism where they would hold onto the idea that bad things only could happen to other people. The thing with vampires was that it was happening to everyone, because even in their so promised security, the system they had implanted meant that any stranger on the street drinking from a tainted bottle could be drinking your blood. And even when you thought you were back to normal, with a job and friends and reruns of old TV shows, every three months one was hit with the reminder that they were no longer in control. There would be no election every four years, there would be no senator to call, no politician to insult on Twitter, and the cops on the street wore black and red instead of the familiar blue. Their badges weren’t golden, they were grey, and humans were no better than cattle.

Angelica knew that some humans even became pets, though she couldn’t see how a cat was better than a cow. She knew James had been taken in by a perverted vampire that was infatuated with him, so she wasn’t surprised he was producing a new play. She was just mad he hadn’t called her, even if they hadn’t been exactly on speaking terms. They had always worked together, _always_. Or what, his new owner was putting conditions on _his_ play?

So she went out of her routine, and after her shift on the nice café she worked every day, she changed for more fashionable clothes, clothes she hadn’t wore in years, and made her way through the streets she once had known so well. The truth was, she didn’t know them anymore, and she almost lost her way once the sun went down. She didn’t panic. Angelica Schuyler never lost her composure, but she had to pay too much attention to her breathing in order to keep it that way, and stopped caring where she was going so she could see where she would need to go next.

“Hey, watch where you’re going!” a vampire woman yelled at her, after she bumped into her and caused her to drop her haversack.

“Well excuse me! Aren’t you supposed to have heightened senses or some shit? You could’ve avoided me!”

“Stupid humans,” the vampire mumbled under her breath, and four years of working as a waitress for vampires were too much for Angelica.

“Hey, I’m sorry, okay?! If you have a problem with me, come and say it to my face!”

“Is this human bothering you, miss?”

Angelica paled. The vampires with black and red uniforms that played to be cops had become every human’s nightmare. There was one in every corner, and she honestly believed that hating humans was a requisite to become one. They were supposed to serve and protect all citizens, and humans, though voiceless, _were_ citizens, as long as they donated blood every three months. However, if the vampire had anything delicate on her stupid haversack, Angelica was screwed. They would place her in a prison cell until the next sunset, and prisoners were kept underground since there had to be a guard at all times, so there wasn’t even a way of telling how long it passed.

“No,” the vampire shook her head. “No, I was running late and I wasn’t looking where I was going, so I reacted badly. She didn’t do anything.”

“Very well.” The cop didn’t look satisfied with that answer, but he didn’t insist, and went back to his place on the corner.

“Thank you.”

“I wasn’t lying. I’m sorry. I’m sure you were in a rush too.”

“Yeah,” Angelica checked her phone and sighed. “I won’t make it. I’m already late.”

“So you’re just going to go back home?”

Angelica snorted. “What do you care? Yes, I’m going back home. There’s no point in arriving late to an audition.”

“You might still have time.”

She shook her head. “I know the writer, and he hates it when people are late. I’ll save myself the bad time.” Within the few minutes they had been stopped by the cop, Angelica recognized her surroundings and calculated the time it would take her to get to the theater and then back to her place. It was already dark, the cop was still glaring, and she wasn’t stupid. She went back home. She had to work early in the morning and she could live with needles but was definitely determined to avoid fangs for the rest of her life.



Maria was supposed to supervise the auditions next to Thomas and James, and she was already late. The human left in the direction she had come from, and the cop kept an eye on her until she was out of sight. Maria sighed. She really needed to be more careful with her temper, especially now that she was getting fans and people were starting to recognize her on the street, but she had spent too many years keeping quiet and going back to hide her emotions always felt like taking a step back in the wrong direction. After Aaron saved her and she asked him how she could ever repay him, he told her all he wanted was for her to be free and happy, and she was doing her very best to do just that.

Normally, she was happy whenever she stepped into the theater, but she wasn’t this time. There was a human belting on the stage, a pianist she didn’t know—human, too, though there was the vampire she was used to working with nearby with an appreciative look on their face, and Thomas and James were sitting on a table with a third, empty seat, clearly intended for her. She sat as quietly as she could, though the vampire next to her had no shame in twisting in his seat to face her and give her his whole attention.

“You’re late, though you didn’t miss anything important, really,” he said. He didn’t even try to whisper. The human on the stage clearly wanted to glare, but didn’t stop singing.

James pulled her out of her misery. “That’s all, thank you.”

The human gave them a strained nod, a quiet thank you, and left the theater.

There were around eighty humans after that, and nobody did any better.

“Well, that was draining,” mumbled Thomas, rubbing his face with a hand. “Logically, I know there are talented humans out there. I mean, I used to _love_ them, you know? But…”

“I know what you mean,” said Maria. She waited for James to comment anything about it but the human had gathered his papers and made himself comfortable several feet away from them, clearly not interested in conversation. She bit her bottom lip. She could be wrong, and didn’t even know her name, but… “There was an interesting human, though… one that kind of missed the audition because of me.”

Thomas turned to her with an arched eyebrow. “You thought a human was interesting? That’s new.”

Maria shrugged one shoulder. “Yeah, and James said that the part had to be played by a human, and you didn’t like any today.”

“No I didn’t, but this human didn’t make it to the audition, so…”

“Yeah, because of me, so you really should give her a chance.”

Thomas frowned and studied his friend’s face. Whatever he saw there made him arched his eyebrows. He turned to the human that was rereading the resumes a few rows back. “James, did you see anyone you liked today?”

The human had been strangely silent and distracted. He took a deep breath and shook his head, obviously frustrated. “No.”

“You seem disappointed. Were you expecting someone?”

“Huh? No,” he gulped and ran a hand through his hair, “though I thought she would come,” he added under his breath.

“Who?”

“An… an old friend. We worked together quite a few times, and she’s perfect for the part.”

“What does she look like? Do you have any pictures?” asked Maria, kneeling on a chair of the row in front of James and supporting herself on the backrest.

James stared at her as if she had asked him if he kept the ashes of his cat in his wallet. He shook his head, but started checking his phone anyway. “I don’t have any pictures, but google does. That’s her.”

Maria gasped. “That’s her.” She bit her bottom lip and grabbed the phone, watching the rest of the pictures. “She came, or at least, she intended to, but we literally crashed on the street, and then a cop came, and—”

“What? Is she okay?”

“Yeah, I told the cop nothing happened, but she decided to go back home. I’m sorry. It’s my fault she didn’t make it. Damn, I’m so sorry. Thomas, do you think you could ask your people to look for her?”

“Well I could, but…”

“That won’t be necessary,” said James, rubbing his face with a hand and throwing his head back. He was ashamed to admit he’d always known where to find her. They had been colleagues many times, but ultimately they had been friends. And he pushed her away just like he pushed everybody else, because he couldn’t stand to see her willing to throw all her talent away and just wipe tables for the rest of her life. “I’ll visit her tomorrow.”

Maria couldn’t help it. She asked: “Can I go too?”

James grimaced.

“I’d like to meet her, too,” nodded Thomas, kneeling beside her. “You sure you know where to find her? I don’t think I’ve seen you even text since I met you.”

James extended his hand, and it took Maria a second to realize he was asking for his phone back. She handed it to him, and he sent a quick text. “Keep in mind that it’s nearly two in the morning and she has work around eight—” the phone vibrated on his hand, and he sighed.

Both, Thomas and Maria tried to see what he was typing, but the human didn’t let them.

“I’ll see her tomorrow at four. If you really want to come, you can. She’s working at a café downtown with a subterranean entrance, but I’ll just give the address to Mark.”

“That offends me.”

“It was most certainly my intention. You should be ashamed of your predictability.”

Maria chuckled. “I thought we should be ashamed of our nosiness.”

James shrugged. “I wouldn’t dream of Thomas ever being ashamed of something like that.”



When Angelica started working at the ‘ _Little Red Grain_ ’ café, she hardly told anyone. Even though most of her friends had been unemployed like her for almost a year, the Tony Award winner actress was, understandably, embarrassed to be working as a waitress. Still, James was one of the few people she told, and yet, he didn’t even visit once. She wasn’t expecting him to, and he figured she actually would rather he didn’t, but after three years of radio silence, even after their brief exchange of texts during the night, seeing the man sitting in a table with two strangers—one she had seen before, though—was still a shock. The vampire in the nearest table being rude to her was just the icing of the cake. She kept a smile on her face as she was supposed to, and deliberately didn’t look in James’s direction.

“You know why is always easy to spot those that were turned, not born-vampires?” said the vampire she hadn’t recognized in James’s table. “They always try to tell the world how superior they are, and get out of their way to be rude and try to humiliate perfectly innocent humans, it’s ridiculous and petty.”

The vampire in the table next door looked like he might start a brawl, but took one look at the vampire next to James and recoiled. He stood up quietly and muttered that he would pay directly to the cashier in the front desk.

“Thanks.” Angelica didn’t look particularly grateful, but she was sincere. “I get out in an hour. Can we talk about your play then?”

“Yes!” James agreed immediately and enthusiastically, which stirred an amused little smile in the vampire next to him, but the playwright didn’t even notice. “Angelica, the part is yours if you want it.”

She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t keep the grin out of her face. “We’ll talk of it in an hour!”

“Why do I get the feeling that you won’t want us around for that conversation?” said Maria.

James sighed. “I don’t know, but that’s quite an accurate feeling.”

“What?” Thomas frowned. “Why?”

“I just think it’ll be more comfortable for Angelica if it’s just us. We’ve worked together before and, sometimes it’s better when the person that’s paying is not there, trust me.”

The vampire crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, pouting. Maria rolled her eyes and was about to scold him, but stopped when James softly placed a hand on the man’s bicep and prompted him to look at him.

“I’m sorry, but if you stay, she’ll be defensive. I know her, so let me handle it, okay?”

Maria was the only one that noticed Angelica staring at their interaction with interest, so she didn’t say anything about it, and purposefully avoided her eyes as she and Thomas left the café. The sun was still up outside, but Thomas had already texted his driver and the man was waiting for them downstairs. She smiled. She had no doubt she’d get a chance to be on a stage with the human in the near future and for some reason, that thought made her happy.



At five, her shift was over, but the café stayed open and James had wisely moved to a table at the back with enough privacy she didn’t mind staying. She was positive the manager feared her, the guys in the kitchen liked her, and the only other waiter in the building at the moment couldn’t care less about her, so she didn’t mind much about prying ears. She changed her uniform for a variation of her outfit of the day before—comfortable, but a little too glamorous for nowadays human standards—, got a can of diet coke for herself and sat in front of her old friend. “Okay, tell me what it is about.”

Madison nodded. “You know I had started working on something around the time the Insurgency happened.”

“Yeah.” She remembered vaguely how he would carry a notepad with himself at all times and would scribble on it at the weirdest times.

“Alright, so in between the evacuating, warfare, the act of registration and the definitive downfall of the entertaining industry, I kept writing.”

“Of course you did.”

He shrugged with a sheepish smile. “In my defense, I had a lot of time in my hands, just hiding in my apartment with tuna and spaghetti. I didn’t exactly join the resistance. Did you?”

“You know I didn’t.” Angelica looked away. “Peggy wanted to, you know.”

“Peggy is a child. She’s always been wild, you can’t exactly feel guilty for not listening to her advice.”

“And I don’t regret it.”

“Good,” he nodded.

“Anyway, keep going.”

“Yes, okay, so I kept… writing, but the story changed, obviously. I mean, my surroundings were such impossibilities I just… at the beginning I wrote about home. I focused on putting down everything I remembered of the world before the whole… vampire apocalypse, you know?, but at some point in the middle I just… I kind of mixed it all. I made a parallel between a vampire and a human kid, and the story follows them up to the Insurgency, which comes as the ending for one and the, the beginning to the other. I honestly never thought a vampire would like the idea enough to produce it but, well, Thomas is… special.”

Angelica stared at him with a raised brow. “Is he, now?”

Madison rolled his eyes. “I know what you think, but our relationship isn’t like that. He hasn’t even drunk my blood yet. I’m starting to believe he just wanted me to write again. He says he used to be a fan.”

“And you believe him?”

“Oh believe me, I didn’t at first. But unless he memorized all my work after he decided to tell me that, I think it’s true. And I guess it wouldn’t be so weird, I mean, the shows were at night.”

“Alright, so this guy is your fan and he thinks your story is somewhat accurate enough from the vampire’s perspective to bring it to life. What would I be doing?”

“The human, of course.”

Angelica nodded. “How many songs? How long is the play?”

“Twenty seven songs all in all, it’s slightly short of two hours and roughly half of them are yours. I can’t promise you much money though.”

She nodded. “No, I get it. I imagine all humans will be getting less than vampires?” he merely smiled dejectedly, and she sighed. “Alright. When do we start?”



Outside of the café, James’s feet took him to the familiar black car near the corner without really thinking about it, so he was a little startled when he saw the back seat wasn’t empty.

“What? You thought I’d leave without you?”

“I told you it would take me a while,” reasoned James, checking the time on his phone. The vampire had left almost four hours ago.

“Yes, I got to admit I thought you’d be over sooner. But anyway, how did it go? Did you hire her?”

“Yes, I’ll email her the script tonight and she should come to the theater on Friday.”

“Okay… Now that we got our stars, what do we do next?”

James chuckled, but he proceeded to tell Thomas in great detail what they would need to do next. The vampire didn’t exactly listen carefully; he tried, but he also interrupted every few words to make suggestions or ask why something was necessary and he didn’t mind much when Mark would roll his eyes or smirk through the rearview, but once in the house and after the thirty sixth time he was cut mid-sentence because they had _already done that_ he simply stopped talking, stopped walking, and stared at him with all the serenity he could conjure. The vampire stopped interrupting after that, and smiled sheepishly until he was over. By the time that happened they were already sitting on the table and Sally was bringing them dinner, which only meant conversation could take another direction naturally and easily.

It was in times like those when James almost forgot he was in fact, Thomas’s employee. The conversation was fluid and witty and Thomas never acted as if he expected James to just agree with him. He encouraged overt discussions and seemed genuinely happy whenever James got overexcited in an argument…

But then dawn would come, and Jefferson would send him to bed—still, without drinking his blood.

A week later, after fighting with the choreographer for hours, James got tired of it.

“Are you seriously never going to do it? Is there something wrong with me?”

“What?”

“Because you’ve kept your part of the deal but I feel like I’m somehow taking advantage of this whole thing, because you got me out of the list of donors and produced my play but I never do anything for you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, James, you let me be a part of the process of making _your_ play!”

“That wasn’t exactly me making an effort, Thomas.”

Jefferson sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. “You honestly are a strange little man. Most people would just be grateful life is working out so well for them and wouldn’t even mention it. Are you actually reprimanding me because I haven’t drunk your blood?”

“Well,” James blushed, “when you put it like that it sounds silly, but I just want to hold my side of the bargain.”

“Very well.”

“Huh?”

“Come here, James. Give me your wrist.”

“My wrist?”

“Yes. You said no one had drunk your blood before, right? This way is easier. Come here.”

James did, though he took his time untangling his crossed legs and walking to the couch, where he sat heavily and probably too far from the vampire, who merely arched an eyebrow until he moved closer. Then, very slowly and almost tenderly, Thomas grabbed his hand and raised it to his mouth, dropping a kiss on his knuckles before turning it expertly and biting the inside of his wrist.

It stung, when the fangs broke the skin, but the press of lips around the area, like some morbid and distorted version of what otherwise could be considered a tender kiss, made it almost pleasant. Then, almost a second later, the actual flow of blood leaving his body _was_ pleasurable, and he covered his mouth after he gasped in both, shock and bliss. Then it was over, almost too soon. After withdrawing the fangs, the vampire licked once the blood still pouring out and subsequently pressed a handkerchief tightly against the skin. He didn’t say anything. Just pressed the fabric against James’s feverish wrist and stared at it until it stopped bleeding.

To James it was like waking up from a trance. He cleared his throat and said: “What, that was all? They always made it so much more dramatic in the movies!”

Thomas laughed in a way he rarely did; he threw his head back and there were wrinkles in the corner of his eyes, the volume was loud but there were the occasional snort and gasp of air and James got the absurd idea that it was tainted with relief. “You should put a band aid there,” he mumbled in between gasps. Vampires didn’t need as much air as humans, but Thomas’s lungs seemed to be struggling for it. “Oh, and a friend of mine will be joining us for lunch the day after tomorrow.”

James wondered when he’d started to associate lunch with what used to be dinnertime. “Okay,” he nodded. “You want me to be here, or should I plan a movie marathon or catch on sleep for once?”

“Oh, you must be here! I mean, you could go to bed earlier if you want, but you must at least eat with us. I intend to ask him to become a co-producer of the play. He has a lot of money to spend and we’re going to need a lot if we’re going to get a new choreographer.”

“What?”

“I know you hate the guy, and he’s not even that good. I heard there was a really good guy in Chicago that I want to bring, but I’ll see if I can get my friend on board first.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I know,” he shrugged. “But I want to.”

The few times James thought about it, he attributed it to the sun, how he hardly ever dreamt nowadays. Even though the mansion was equipped so absolutely no sunlight could get in, James couldn’t think of another explanation to his lack of dreaming. His theory went to hell then because that day, the day Thomas Jefferson drank his blood for the first time, James had a thousand dreams, and he did as well the day after. He started dreaming from the moment his head touched the pillow at seven in the morning, and images and sounds filled his mind until he was startled awake by Sally at six in the afternoon. She hardly ever woke him up, not only because he tended to wake up around three and never really needed it, but because she simply didn’t like him very much. After seeing her interacting with Mark a few times, he had concluded she really didn’t like humans, period.

“Mr. Jefferson’s guest will be arriving soon,” was all she said, as she brusquely opened the curtains. The sun was still visible and bright, and the first time he had seen her doing that he’d gasped. She merely had stared at him and hadn’t minded to explain how the windows were special and that was the only reason she didn’t get any terrible sunburns.

He only sighed once she was outside of the room, though he imagined she could hear him anyway.

Breakfast was normal after that, and with Thomas they talked of nothing and everything until the doorbell rang around nine.

“Aaron, it’s good to see you! Please, come on in. This is James Madison. James, this is Aaron Burr. If my parents had known any other couple of vampires with children we probably wouldn’t be friends.”

“Hello,” said James awkwardly, but the newcomer nodded politely and smiled.

“How long are you staying? I have an offer to make you.”

Burr shook his head. “Just until tomorrow because I have an early meeting with the Council. Thank you for letting me stay here, even though I could’ve gotten a hotel room in the city.”

The way the vampire glared coldly at Thomas made Madison think he probably would’ve rather staying at a hotel room, but Thomas only laughed.

“Don’t be ridiculous; those hotels are terrible! What are you doing after your meeting? James and I are going to the theater, you should join us!”

“No, I will go back home as soon as my meeting is over. Theodosia is sick, so…” he shrugged. “The good thing about the new regime and Connecticut is that Theo can actually go to kindergarten.”

“That’s good I guess? I hope Theodosia gets better soon.”

“Me too…” he gave them a strained smile and downed the content of the glass the maid had just brought him.

“She’s always been prone to sickness, right? At least little Theo seems to be more like you in that aspect.”

“Yes, thank God… but you said you had an offer. Now I’m not sure I want to hear it, but…”

Thomas chuckled. “Don’t be ridiculous, you’ll love it. Remember the couple of plays I dragged you to? You loved them.”

“Of course I do.”

“Yes, well, James here was the writer of all of them. And, I’m producing a new one he did. I’m offering you now, to get involved.”

“You want me to put money into this.”

“You’ll get it back, _and_ you’ll make some more. Also, we’ll be hiring humans too and we don’t need to pay them much.”

“Thomas…”

“Aaron, when am I ever wrong? You can trust me.”

After a loaded silent minute, the vampire sighed. “Alright, but if you’re wrong, you’re paying me back.”

“And with interests, I promise.”

“Good.”

The conversation seemed to exclude the human then, though it never actually included him at all. They ate, Aaron threw in a couple of embarrassing anecdotes from Thomas’s childhood, and when the vampires started to pour alcohol into their already occupied glasses James decided it was time for him to go.

“I think I’ll go to bed now.”

“Oh, are you sure? It’s not even one yet!”

Aaron tilted his head to the left. “Thomas…”

James didn’t let him continue. “Yes, I’m sure,” he said amicably but firmly. “You two need to catch up. Good luck in your meeting tomorrow, Mr. Burr.”

“Thank you, Mr. Madison. I’m eager to hear what your play is about. Hopefully I’ll be able to join you again next week.”

“That would be great.”

As soon as James’s door was closed, Aaron asked: “What happened to his wrist?”

“Oh my friend, don’t ask that sort of thing!” Jefferson giggled. “He’s not in the public service anymore, you see.”

“Oh,” Aaron blushed, “so that’s…” he cleared his throat. “I didn’t think. Forgive me.”

“It’s fine, it isn’t common, I know, but it’s the best when they’re getting used to it. It makes the whole thing less awkward and it’s easier to maneuver.”

“Jesus, Thomas, you sound like an expert. You actually made research on it?”

Jefferson shrugged, and changed the subject not so discreetly.



It was weird how fast a person could get used to some changes, and yet how easily they fell into old habits. James had been going to bed at seven in the morning for a considerable amount of time now, but it didn’t take him longer to fall asleep at one. He didn’t even close the curtains, which meant that by dawn, his brain decided he couldn’t keep sleeping. He stayed in bed for a while, but eventually decided he should do something with the nearly twelve hours he had before the vampire woke up and texted Mark to ask if he could take him to the city.

It had taken some time, but now he actually liked Mark. He was a little chatty and made terrible jokes, but they saw each other every day and in a weird, twisted way, they were co-workers.

Around eleven, after the guy refused to leave and insisted he could drive him in between the libraries he was visiting, James groaned and asked: “What?”, tired of the sideway glares the driver had been sending him the entire day.

“Nothing.”

“Don’t bullshit me, I know it’s not nothing.”

“Wow, I didn’t know you were capable of using bad words. Perhaps I should tell Mr. Jefferson. Would he punish you?”

It took James a minute to be able to say anything at all. “What the fuck, Mark?”

“I’m just trying to figure out what makes you so special, you know? I mean, sure, Mr. Jefferson clearly was infatuated with you before he met you, but I thought it was all about your brains, you know? I didn’t think he would actually… God, you don’t even know what you got him doing.”

James paled, worried over things he couldn’t understand. “What are you talking about?”

“You know I grew up with these people. I know how the vampire society _works_ , and you, with your words and songs and whatever it is that got Mr. Jefferson so lovesick, are going to get him a lot of bad looks.”

“What are you talking about? What did I do?”

“He’s drinking directly from you, dude! That’s just, that’s basically a promise for conversion!”

“A what? No! No, no, this is, this is why he initially brought me here! I came here because of the, the, the private alternative thing!” he stuttered helplessly, searching in his brain for that first conversation and at what point he’d messed up, but he couldn’t find any. That had been the _main_ reason for his interactions with Thomas, after all.

“The old families always had the ‘private alternative’, that isn’t a thing the Council decided to grant, it was a thing the Council decided _not to_ forbid. All human workers have always donated periodically, the time depending on the family, but we use needles, like every sensible person. Where did you think Mr. Jefferson got the blood he puts on his wine glasses every night?”

James fell quiet, feeling like a kid that had been scolded over believing in Santa Claus for too long. Going back to Thomas that afternoon was like walking on a cloud. James wanted to bring it up but he didn’t know how, or what to expect to hear. Mark had said it was basically a promise of conversion, but to whom? He wasn’t going to consider it an offer. But were they offending anyone, doing what they were doing?

“James?” Thomas stared at him concerned, and Madison forgot all about those faceless monsters. Maria hadn’t even bat an eye after Thomas started drinking his blood and she had seen him merely a few hours later, nor did Burr who didn’t even know him, so Mark was probably taking things out of proportion in his head.

“I started a new story. Would you like to hear the overture? It’s still a work in progress,” he warned with a sheepish smile, “but I’d like to hear your opinion.”

The vampire’s grin was radiant, and James decided he had nothing to worry about, as long as he got to see that smile every day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've liked it so far! The next (and last) chapter will probably take me a little longer, but it'll come, I promise!


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay!

While the production of James’s play advanced, the human started spending more and more time in the theater whereas Thomas couldn’t spend as much as he’d liked. His co-producer, Aaron Burr, was dealing with the Council, but he still had a lot to do, and after opening night, things only got more and more chaotic. He enjoyed it all, though, especially when he got to go home at the end of it all with James by his side and he would sink his teeth in the playwright’s skin without even having to warn the human, because they were in such sync. He was addicted to it, not only the sweet, sweet and warm substance but to James’s skin and scent as well, and the little noises he made during the whole process. He had thought he could get used to it but the more he tasted it, the more he wanted to take.

A week after opening night, in between shows as James was busy being interviewed by a ‘for and by humans’ newspaper, he locked himself with Burr and Maria in the latter’s dressing room without giving any explanations.

Throwing himself at the sofa and resting the back of his hand on his forehead, he dramatically said: “I am so screwed.”

Maria, from the nearest chair, looked at him with sadness, and Burr merely stared with an arched eyebrow for a moment before going back to stare at his cellphone.

“Would you mind to elaborate?”

Jefferson sighed. “I’ve never met anyone like him, you know? In all my years…”

“You’re not that old.”

“Shut up. I’m older than you.”

“You’re not older than me, though,” pointed Maria.

“Whatever! That’s not the point!”

“No,” Aaron smiled dejectedly and took a step closer, “the point is that you have the social skills of a four-year-old, and the only thing you came out with to talk to your crush was to hire him as a feeding bag, instead of approaching him like the fan that you were, like any other rational adult.”

“You are so mean, Burr! Don’t you understand that simply approaching him wasn’t an option? I didn’t want a picture! I wanted to get to know him, and I did!”

“Yes, and now you’re your crush’s employer. How exactly do you intend to do anything about it?”

“I know I fucked up, okay? I didn’t call you here to give me advice, I just wanted to complain! God, sometimes I don’t know why I’m even your friend.”

“Now dear, not everything is lost,” said Maria. “I believe he likes you too.”

“I can’t exactly ask him out, dear, how would I know he doesn’t feel like he has to? It could never be consensual,” he shook his head. “I can’t go on like this. I live with the guy, for fuck’s sake!”

“Then fire him,” proposed Burr.

“What?”

“You won’t tell him how you feel, thus having him _so_ near will only be a source of distress. Get some distance, make him go home, stop drinking his fucking blood, or how about you use a fucking glass, for once?”

“But his skin is so soft!”

“You’re definitely taking advantage there,” scolded Maria.

“He suggested it himself!”

“Probably because humans don’t have syringes lying around their houses, and that’s one thing all movies and books agreed on when it came to the ridiculous vampire characterization in the media.”

“Uh, shut up! How do you even know what sort of things humans keep in their houses in the 21st century? Because I don’t know you guys, but I’ve never been in one.”

Maria rolled her eyes and Aaron sighed heavily. Sometimes it was really irritating when Jefferson was right.

“But I don’t understand. Didn’t you make the interview properly? You’re supposed to clarify that sort of thing,” said Maria, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I may or may not have skipped a few formalities,” Jefferson admitted with a sheepish smile. “I mean, I asked if anyone had ever drunk from him and he said no, so I figured the interview could end there.”

“Thomas…!”

“I know, I know! You’re right,” he sighed. “I’ll have to fire him.”

Aaron nodded and went to the door. “Now if you excuse me, I’ll go back to work, as you should too.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” he waved a hand dismissively, and his co-producer left. “What do you think?”

Maria shrugged, grimacing awkwardly. “Why don’t you try being honest with him, now? You two are so comfortable together…”

Thomas shook his head.

“Then… detox?”

“What?”

“Take some time apart. See how it is to be without him again, without his company, conversation nor blood, and evaluate. Then make a decision and… I don’t know, woo him. But don’t fire him; you don’t want him to come back to you only because working for you makes his life easier.”

“That’s…! That’s actually a very good idea, Maria, thank you.”

She grinned. “Don’t mention it. I just really think you two are good for each other, and Aaron can be a little…” she grimaced.

Thomas rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it. I mean, I’ve known the guy forever but…” he sighed, “whatever. He looked distracted anyway, I won’t take it personal.”

“Has he said anything about his wife?”

Jefferson frowned. “What? No.”

Maria bit her bottom lip. “I overheard him talking to his daughter the other night… I’m worried. I know she gets sick often but…”

Thomas nodded. “I’ll ask him about it.” He didn’t know how, but he would. They weren’t the kind of friends that really _talked_ about their problems, but Thomas didn’t think Aaron had any of those, and if he was honest, he didn’t either. And he didn’t escape the irony of the fact that the closest thing to that that he had currently was the source of all his problems, just as he was sure happened to Aaron, on a different scale.

It had to be on a different scale because Thomas had only been living with James for a few months—seven, to be exact—and it wasn’t reasonable that his entire routine and comfort depended on the fragile human. It wasn’t reasonable, but it was damn true, and that became more than evident later that week.

He was finally ready to leave for the theater when he noticed James wasn’t waiting for him downstairs as usual. He found him comfortably reading near the chimney of the fourth study—his personal favorite—wearing slippers, sweatpants and a large sweater.

“You’re not going to see the play tonight?”

“No, I think I’ll stay in… I hope it runs for a long time, but I think I can start focusing on other things, you know?”

Thomas nodded. “Yes, sure, that makes sense,” he cleared his throat. “Well, I…”

“Please, you should go. Don’t worry about me.”

“Okay,” he smiled tightly and cleared his throat again; the lump wasn’t going away. “I’ll see you later, then.”

“Enjoy the show.”

“Will do,” he lied. James clearly didn’t want his company, so what was there to think about? He made his choice right there, but he left without another word. He went and stayed all the way through the first act without listening to a single note. If he went back and told James to leave right then, would it look like he did it only out of pettiness? Like a toddler throwing a tantrum because his favorite toy wasn’t available? He couldn’t do that. So he waited, he waited the incredible amount of four days before saying after breakfast: “I think you should go.”

“What?”

“I won’t put you back in the donor list, and you can stay under my protection but… I really think you shouldn’t live here anymore.”

Suddenly, James seemed fascinated by the crumps on his plate. “Why? Did I do something wrong?”

Jefferson winced. “No, don’t be ridiculous. You’ve done nothing wrong. I just… I need to be alone for a while.”

“Oh… alright,” he nodded, and waved numbly as the vampire exited the room. Then, he must have stayed frozen in his seat for at least half an hour, trying to understand what it meant for him, to leave. It didn’t take him too long to pack, but Thomas hadn’t been specific regarding time, so he wanted to leave as soon as possible, hopefully, be out of there before the vampire returned.

He shouldn’t have worried. By two in the morning, Mark had already dropped him back in his old apartment.

James never thought he’d grow so fond of the vampire. He hadn’t exactly been in the old mansion out of his own free will, but he hadn’t been locked there either. He’d grown accustomed to it, to the company especially. Being back in his apartment in Midtown Manhattan felt oddly unnerving, but he slid back into his old routine easily enough. It wasn’t hard; all he had to do was waking up and taking a shower. He gave up in the ‘trying not to cry’ part because he never succeeded anyway, so he might as well get it over with early in the morning.

The first two days, he woke up with a symphony on his head and words on his tongue, but he didn’t put those in paper, and he couldn’t bring himself to buy a new piano, even though he had the money now, which was ridiculous. This wasn’t some vacations he was taking, this was… it. Just because Thomas had said he ‘needed to be alone for a while’ didn’t mean he would actually accept him back when that ended. Besides, for all he knew, a while to him meant a couple of decades. James knew he needed to admit that his time with the vampire was over, and move on with his life now that he actually could have one. He had money, contacts, and he even had friends again. Of course that would change again if he didn’t answer the phone soon.

On the fifth day back in his apartment, he decided he would definitely answer the phone if it rang a third time after noon. He didn’t because the third time it was Maria and he really didn’t want to talk to anybody he had met through Thomas, but the fourth was, fortunately, Angelica, and so he answered.

“Hello?”

“ _James? Finally! I was getting worried. Are you free? We could get some lunch._ ”

“Uh, yeah, sure.”

“ _Great. You know the new veggie place near the theater?_ ”

“Yeah.” Thomas liked their natural juices. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’ll meet you there in twenty minutes?”

“ _Cool_.”

He was there in ten, but only had to wait five minutes for his friend to arrive. They sat near the window, which was a nice, deliberate change from when he would sit in the back with Thomas. They didn’t eat out often; Thomas didn’t really _need_ to eat, though he enjoyed certain foods he’d been fond of—born-vampire children needed nutrients that couldn’t be found in blood, and physically couldn’t even extract blood from a living victim without help, so it was only natural he was such a fan of strawberry juice, he’d said—and this, being near to the theater, had been one of the few establishment they had frequented.

“Hey, for a minute there I got worried you’d disappear again,” said Angelica with a rueful smile.

“I’m sorry,” said James, looking away. He didn’t want to admit how close he’d been to do just that.

She sighed. “No, don’t apologize. Tell me what’s wrong.”

He shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“Bullshit. The few times I’ve seen Jefferson this week he’s been completely off and you’re never together.” She didn’t have to mention how he’d stopped answering his phone.

“We don’t live together anymore.”

“What?” she frowned. “Why?”

James shrugged. “To be honest, I have no idea. He said something about needing to be alone for a while, but… he probably just got bored of me.”

“Oh, James…” she bit her bottom lip. “I’m sorry. I know you cared about him.”

He sighed. “It really wasn’t like that, Angie. We were just friends and… well, I guess we really weren’t friends either. I was his employee, you see. I gave him my blood instead of donating to the public system.”

“And you think he stopped liking your blood?”

“I… actually, I hadn’t thought of it that way,” he cleared his throat, trying to keep the intrusive thoughts at bay… ‘ _it was your fault,_ ’ like a mantra inside his head, as he went through all the changes in his diet and habits that could’ve caused it, but there were so many and, when had Thomas ever complained? It was more like the opposite, actually. The vampire had only asked for more…

“Damn it, James, forget I said anything. That was so stupid of me… he probably just wasn’t used to having someone so close at all times, I mean, you spent a lot of time together in the past months.”

“Yes, sure,” he nodded with a dejected smile.

“You want to go back.”

“No! No, I… I know that’s not going to happen.”

“That doesn’t matter, and you _don’t_ know that. Perhaps—”

“Angelica, please, I didn’t come here to talk about that.”

“Sure, I’m sorry.”

He was being rude, but he didn’t care. He needed to talk about something else or at some point real soon he would start crying. It was his fault and he knew it, even if it didn’t sound very reasonable, even if there were a thousand plausible reasons for Thomas to ‘need space’… he knew that ultimately it had been because of him, and that made him feel stupid. He wished it didn’t feel worse than it did waking up almost six years ago to the world completely messed up, but at least that time it hadn’t been his fault. Now, the only responsible for his misery was himself, and it was incredibly difficult to deal with that.

Meanwhile, Thomas wasn’t doing any better.

“What do you mean he’s back in the list?”

“ _Mr. Jefferson, you told me to inform you of anything regarding Mr. Madison and that’s what we’re doing. My apologies, but you didn’t give any more orders. Were we supposed to stop him?_ ”

“No, no, just… what do you mean he’s back? Why?”

“ _He came here to say he was no longer working for you and so, he should be put back in the list_.”

“He did what?”

“ _Mr. Jefferson, is there some problem with the line? Do you—_ ”

“No, just… do not put his blood back in the fridges! I mean do, but label them, and I’ll pick them.”

“ _So he’s still working for you?_ ”

“No! I mean yes. Yes, he is. So don’t give that blood away!” He’d be damn if he allowed anyone else taste sweet James’s blood. It was freaking _his_. The entire way to the laboratory he felt torn between anger and shame, because James wasn’t, in fact, his. His blood most definitely _was not_ his, not even his company anymore, because he had sent him away, but really… why would he go and do exactly what Thomas had said wasn’t necessary? He had gone back through that conversation inside his head enough times to be sure he had been clear about James not having to donate blood anymore. He was certain of it, just like he was certain he never had told the human to leave _immediately_ and yet when he’d returned that night, early, because he had in fact regretted it and was thinking of a way to fix it, James was gone. He had been gone for hours, actually.

He forgot he was supposed to meet Burr for dinner. He made it in time, barely, and was met with a couple of arched eyebrows and an amused twitch of lips.

“Thomas, you’re a mess,” said the bastard, covering his smile by taking a sip of his glass.

“Shut up,” said Thomas, sitting down heavily, and tried to focus. He had invited Aaron for a reason. He needed to stop thinking about James.

Aaron sighed. “What is it?”

“James is back in the donor list. Why would he be back in the list? I told him it wasn’t necessary, but he went and asked to be put back.”

“I don’t know, James. He probably felt like it was fair, or maybe he didn’t want your charity, I don’t know.”

Thomas stared for a moment, noticing why Maria had been so concerned. There was clearly something wrong with Burr, and he couldn’t believe he hadn’t detected it before. There was none of the usual nonchalance in his posture, there were bags under his eyes and he looked too pale for a well illuminated room at four in the morning. It wasn’t easy for a vampire to lose weight, but Aaron most definitely had. Thomas frowned. “Is everything okay?”

Aaron snorted. “I’m sorry if I’m being rude, I—”

“No, I mean it. Maria and I are worried. Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it? Is everything okay with Theo?”

“Theo is,” he cleared his throat and looked around the room. His eyes were moist, and Thomas felt like an asshole. “Theo is scared, and so am I.”

“Aaron…”

“Theodosia is sick,” he stated, “and she’s not getting better.” Blinking repeatedly, he downed the content of his glass. “She’s never going to get better.”

“I’m sorry.”

Aaron shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I mean it, Aaron, really. If there’s anything I can do… just, ask.”

“Thank you.”

Politeness and diversion were Aaron’s specialty, and the conversation quickly moved on to another less draining topic, which made Thomas feel bad for being relieved. He wasn’t used to people dying. He had several siblings scattered around the world, his parents, grandparents, and great grandparents were all somewhere, even if they weren’t close, he knew they loved him and they were all happy and fine and would meet sometime for a Halloween or some birthday… death wasn’t a concern of his, and he didn’t know how to deal with it. He didn’t know how to give Aaron any comfort, and in turn Aaron was thoughtful enough to get the conversation away from it for Thomas’s sake.

Aaron tried to distract Jefferson, and felt a little guilty when the guy started to look grateful for it, but he didn’t care to clarify how he wasn’t doing it for him. When Jefferson had invited him for dinner he thought he could have a few hours to step out of the house; ever since opening night he’d stopped going to New York and wouldn’t move from Theodosia’s side, to the point in which she was telling him to find something to do to give _her_ some space. Aaron was used to people dying. He was used to spending hours sitting next to a bed, he knew all about graveyards and legal documents and grief. He didn’t even remember his parents’ funeral, but he remembered his grandparents’ and his sister’s and Bellamy’s… he didn’t need to talk about it with Jefferson, of all people. Besides, he was sure the guy didn’t need any more worries. When he suggested him to fire Madison, he didn’t think his friend would go and do it. He wasn’t used to seeing him heartbroken, but there he was.

“Do you want to talk about Madison?”

“No,” Thomas shook his head. “There’s nothing to say, aside from how he definitely doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“Maybe he’s just mad you sent him away so abruptly.”

“I hadn’t intended it to be that way!”

“Well, you should’ve planned it better then,” said Aaron, shrugging one shoulder like one would wield a sword.

The worst part was that he was right. If Thomas had tried talking to James, instead of just, casually commenting he was kicking him out right was he was leaving, the human wouldn’t have retreated the way he did, but there was nothing to be done about that aside from…

“You could always apologize,” suggested Aaron, playing with the few fries on his plate, “say you freaked out over something I said, or an interviewer, or you were just having a bad day or… I don’t know, find an excuse. You’re good at that.”

He was good at finding excuses, not at _apologizing_ , especially because he suspected that if he started, he wouldn’t know when to stop. It was _James_. James was so… fragile. Had he really hurt him with the way he worded it? Had it been the act in itself, or the abruptness of it? Did he miss him at all, or was he enjoying his recovered freedom and working independence?

He knew he wanted James back in his life, but did the human want him back as well? And more importantly, what would happen to him, if the answer to that was no?

He anguished over all those questions for weeks, until fate decided to break his agony—or increment it, he couldn’t say—by both literally and metaphorically throwing James at him. Metaphorically because without knowing, they both had interviews at the same radio station one Tuesday evening, and literally because, well, Thomas had to catch the human after he fell down the stairs. In his defense, the floor had been recently waxed and there were no signs nearby.

“Oops, careful there!” said Thomas with exaggerated cheerfulness in an attempt to ignore how he had rushed there in a panic to catch the human.

“Thomas?” he babbled, a little shaky and out of breath, probably all because of the near-death experience. “How have you been?”

The vampire chuckled. “Quite well, thank you. And you, before the fall? How is your writing process? Remember I want to be the first to know when the next play is over.”

“Yes,” he nodded with a sheepish grin that wanted to show relief but wouldn’t, “and remember that it might take me a few years.”

“I do, I do. Still, you can’t blame me for asking.”

“No, I can’t.”

“Uh, I heard you were back in the donor list? I told you it wasn’t necessary.”

“It didn’t feel right to just… don’t, I guess.”

Jefferson smiled tightly. “Of course, you’re always so considerate.”

Thomas Jefferson wasn’t known for going around complimenting others; James had learned that by seeing him and hearing others talk about him, but with James, he would throw niceties like that more than frequently, with a particular smile that made his sincerity unquestionable. James couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t take _compliments_ he didn’t deserve because he wasn’t a considerate person and he most definitely wasn’t fishing for praises from the man that, that…

He had known it was only a matter of time for the vampire to get bored of him, but he hadn’t thought it would be so soon, and he definitely hadn’t thought it would make him as sad as it did. He had tried to go on, to make the best of the entire situation but he couldn’t anymore, he couldn’t keep going like nothing had happened. He had gotten his heart broken by the man in front of him and he needed to tell someone about it, even if that someone was the cause of it. “I’m sorry,” he gulped, “I know you got bored of me but I—”

“No,” the vampire cut him off before he could elaborate on his self-loathing, “hang on, James, I didn’t get bored of you!”

The playwright stared at him incredulously. “Then why did you send me away?”

“What? No, James, I… I had to send you away because I couldn’t, I couldn’t have you so close and yet… you were basically my _pet_ , James. It made me feel sick.”

Madison winced, and Jefferson cursed himself.

“James, listen to me. I had to let you go because I couldn’t think of every single interaction between us as some sick business transaction. I care too much about you for that. And it hurt too much that you were only there because you felt like you had to.”

“But Thomas, I liked being there with you.”

“You did?” he cleared his throat. “Anyway, it was the right thing. I wanted us to be friends, not…”

“Something else,” said James just as the vampire said: “—boss and employee.”

They fell into an awkward silence, staring into each other in a poorly lit, deserted hallway in an old building downtown Manhattan, while the human blushed intensely.

The vampire stuttered: “S-something else, what, what do you mean, something else?”

“Nothing!”

“James, please…”

“Nothing, I meant nothing, I—”

“I think I love you, James.”

“What?”

“I miss you,” he licked his lips, “would you… would you like having dinner, or lunch with me one of these days? As friends, or… or something else?”

James could hear his heartbeat on his ears, which meant the vampire could too. He could feel his knees trembling and his stomach was a mess, and even though he was sure no air was coming in through his nose or open mouth, for some reason he still hadn’t passed out. “I would love to,” declared he, with a volume and firmness he hadn’t considered himself capable of achieving in such a state.

“Okay,” Thomas nodded and smiled shyly; a view so uncommon that James worried his heart would melt or finally stop. “Tomorrow? We can go wherever you want.”

“I’ll text you,” James promised, smiling back and starting to make his way outside. He was close to crushing against a wall, but was able to avoid it without making a total fool of himself so it wasn’t so bad. He was glad he wasn’t far from his apartment and basically ran there, locking himself inside and finally allowing himself to freak out, but all he could manage was to walk around his living room mumbling to himself. He didn’t notice at what point he poured himself a glass of water, but after he emptied it a third time and had to use the restroom he admitted he wasn’t calming down.

Angelica was awoken by her phone in the middle of the night.

“James?”

“ _I’m sorry. You said I could call you if I ever needed to talk?_ ”

“Yes, of course—”

“ _I need to talk._ ”

“Okay,” she cleared her throat. “Shoot. Or do you want to get together…?”

“ _No, on the phone is great._ ”

“Okay… what is it?”

“ _I’m going on a date with Thomas._ ”

“You’re—oh, okay. That’s… that’s great, right?”

“ _Yes! But…_ ”

“You’re dying, aren’t you?”

“ _I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared before. I mean, I must have been at some point but I can’t remember anything and since I was trying to think of something I started remembering all the dates I’ve had gone terrible and I felt like throwing up and then I remembered the time I actually threw up on somebody and started making a list of my allergies but I was sure there were thirteen fruits and I could only remember twelve so now I’m freaking out because—_ ”

“James, James, calm down, didn’t you give a list of your allergies to the cooks in Jefferson’s house?”

“ _Oh, you’re right, I did._ ”

“Yes, so you’ve got that covered.”

“ _Thank you_.”

“You’re going to be alright, James. You two are good for each other.”

“ _I hope you’re right._ ”

“And when am I ever wrong?”

At the time, James couldn’t remember a single example. Of course, once the call was over there came a few dozens to his mind, but he was able to ignore them in favor of picking out his clothes and then stressing over the place they would meet. He wanted it to mean something but at the same time didn’t want it to mean anything at all. He wanted it to be nearby but at the same time he didn’t want it to be so far from Thomas’s place that he’d need to leave too soon. He wanted… he wanted it. He was used to stressing over _living_ , and even though he didn’t crave it, he knew it was something to be expected, and a long time ago he’d learned to embrace the kind of anxiety that came over good things, because it was the only stress worth having. And because deep down he knew that no matter what disasters could come, he was going out with Thomas and everything would be alright, because with Thomas he was safe and they would laugh and for an hour or two things could go back to feeling okay, feeling alright, feeling _great_. If anybody else had been in the room with him they might have worried about his hysterical laughter, but James knew that was just him being happy, because what nobody talked about was how most of the time relief looked ugly. The culmination of weeks feeling terrible and scared and guilty couldn’t be pretty, because it meant a bunch of horrible, ugly thoughts and emotions were leaving his body and what was left _inside_ was pretty. Yes, there was a lot of stress inside still, but there was also hope and eagerness and so much _love_ he felt he could explode.

That wasn’t the first night he didn’t cry himself to sleep after going back to his apartment, because he still cried, but those tears didn’t feel like scarring his face. They felt like yellow and purple running together. They felt like happiness. They felt like Thomas.

And perhaps because Thomas was in fact a complicated individual, his happiness was also a complicated one, and the nervous smile he planted on his face was most definitely not a happy-looking one. He was thoughtful—and lucky—enough to arrive to the restaurant forty minutes early, but then Thomas arrive twenty minutes early so he didn’t even get half an hour to prepare himself for their greetings. The vampire seemed just as uncomfortable with this turn of events, so they managed to grin awkwardly at each other and simply sit down on opposite sides without dangerous exchanges such as hugs or handshakes. The place was relatively empty for three in the morning and their waiter was quick and efficient, but after he left, the silence reinserted and it felt like it was there to stay.

“This is a little weird, isn’t it?” said Thomas.

“A little, yes,” admitted James with a sheepish smile.

Thomas chuckled and shook his head. “We ate together every meal for months but this… well, I know it’s _supposed_ to feel different, but this is ridiculous!”

James laughed and felt immediately lighter. “It’s probably because we’re acting like we’re on a date, instead of acting like we do when we’re together.”

“That’s a very good analysis.”

“It wasn’t exactly mentally challenging.”

Thomas chuckled. “God, I missed you. You were only gone for a month and I missed you _so_ much,” he bit his lip and shook his head. “And you know I actually like Mark, he’s a good guy, but apparently he decided I was too depressed the other day and now he won’t stop playing happy songs in the car, no more show tunes, show tunes have been forbidden since you left, and Mark _sings along_ and he’s not precisely a good singer, so I’m sure you’ll understand my dismay to this entire situation.”

“Oh, poor you,” nagged James, and like that, they fell into their usual conversation about nothing and everything, laughing and theorizing and gossiping and just, enjoying each other’s company. It finally felt relaxing, like it was supposed to be. But it had to end, because they were at a restaurant and no longer lived together, and James had picked a restaurant particularly close to his apartment so he could walk there.

At the doorway, before making their separate ways, Thomas said: “Waiting feels silly but I don’t want to rush anything. Let’s do this again soon?”

James bit his bottom lip and looked around. He could see Mark waiting in the car, not even pretending to ignore them. “Let’s do this again tomorrow?”

“Okay, but I’ll pick the place.”

James nodded. “Deal.” He gasped, and feared for a moment he would have a heart attack, after the vampire had quickly dropped a kiss on his cheek. Thomas seemed mortified with his reaction for a minute but then smiled tenderly, probably after noticing all the blushing. James cleared his throat. “Well, see you tomorrow.”

Thomas chuckled in a way that made James think he was _delighted_ , but how could that be?

“Alright, see you tomorrow, James, sweet dreams.”

James nodded, turned around, and started walking, thanking God and Fate and whatever deity was out there that had made Mark park in the other direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, normally this was going to be the last chapter but I felt like I still had a some more for these two (the rest of the stories for this verse focus on other characters). I can't tell how long it'll take me to post the ending, but well, at least the drama is partially over!


	4. Chapter Four

Their second date went almost as smoothly as the first one; almost because James almost died. Fortunately, Thomas had memorized James’s list of allergies and realized the desert contained a weird cream that had been shortly in contact with nuts and was able to warn the human in time. His tongue still itched, but at least his throat didn’t close, and it was close enough to the end of the night that really, it didn’t matter, to James at least. Thomas seemed a little gloomier though, so James made sure to schedule a third date for the next day, and then when in that one the tablecloth got set on fire during the main course, he decided they’d skip soup next time, though they didn’t even make it to the entrée course because there was a fire in the building next door. Fire fighters were quickly at the scene, but James suggested they could just go to the McDonalds near his place. He didn’t ask Thomas if he wanted to eat inside, but the vampire didn’t bring it up either. They ended up eating in the park and walking until it was time for the vampire to leave, and for James, it was his favorite date so far. Nevertheless, he was honestly surprised the vampire kept agreeing to a next evening like that when each was worse than the last one.

It wasn’t until their fifth date that Thomas cancelled.

James tried to send his dark thoughts to the back of his head, but it was hard, especially since the vampire didn’t elaborate on a reason. He typed a different message asking about it five times before he gave up. There wasn’t a ‘right’ way to ask it. So he called Maria. She greeted him amicably but after he asked about Thomas’s itinerary, she cursed.

“ _He didn’t tell you?_ ”

“Tell me what?”

“ _I can’t believe him… it’s, you remember Aaron had a sick wife, right?_ ”

James’s mind was blank. He scratched the back of his neck with the hand that wasn’t holding the phone. “Eh… well, I remember he had a wife, and at some point I believe I heard she was sick?”

Maria sighed, again. “ _Yes, she was very sick. And tonight it’s her funeral. I understand why it really was for the best if you didn’t come, and I’m sure you’d like to see Aaron but—_ ”

“I most definitely would not,” blurted James anxiously, “I mean, what could I tell him? Don’t get me wrong, I consider him my friend but I’m horrible at this type of situations and, how come vampires just _die_ like that? You guys shouldn’t have this kind of problem!”

“ _Alright James, calm down. I guess… I guess I can see now why Thomas didn’t tell you. He probably was going to do it later._ ”

“Yes, are you sure I shouldn’t go? I feel like I should go. I mean, I saw Aaron every night for _months_ , how can I not go? I should at least call him. Oh God but what should I say?”

“ _James, seriously, relax. I’m sure Thomas will figure a reason for you to not be there. He’s the one that should’ve told you, after all._ ”

“But I do know now!”

“ _It’s going to be full of vampires, and vampires only. It’s even going to be a little awkward to me, that I am one, because most of them are born-vampires. Seriously James, it’ll be better for everyone involved if you don’t go. I’m sorry._ ”

The conversation didn’t extend much further than that. She was in her way to the church where the service would be, and James was awkwardly still in his pajamas eating ice cream, so really, none was in an inviting mood or environment for conversation. They wished each other luck and said goodbye, and James made a decision.

He packed his bags and unpacked them at least thirteen times, but eventually, he finished. Afterwards he called Mark, listened to him babble for two minutes before he asked him to pass him to Sally, and freaked out silently in the five minutes it took the driver to find the maid that brusquely said: “ _What do you want?_ ”

“Do you know if Thomas will bring anyone back from the funeral with him tonight?”

“ _I know he asked Mr. Burr, but he refused. Still, he could change his mind. Why?_ ”

“I’m going there now.”

“ _Shall I prepare your old bedroom, then?_ ”

Honestly he hoped he wouldn’t be using it, but he said: “Yes.”

“ _Very well,_ ” and hung up. He imagined Mark would call again, but that was okay. He’d need the ride anyway, and someone to distract him for the next three hours so he wouldn’t start unpacking again.

He had a plan and all. He would go back to the manor, would put his bags in his old room but wouldn’t fill the closet yet, and would wait for Thomas in his favorite study reading a book the vampire had usually talked to him about but he’d never gotten to read it. He even made up a short and funny speech on his mind, about how dining out clearly wasn’t working out for them and really they should just stay inside. It was the perfect plan. And obviously, he didn’t follow it. He did almost everything right, but at the end, he fell asleep with the book in his hands, and was awaken by the vampire himself.

“James?”

He pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes to try to wake up faster. It didn’t help; he still felt highly disoriented and he couldn’t even see colors properly then. “Hello,” he mumbled awkwardly, attempting to smile and sit straighter.

“If all I had to do to get you to move in back with me was to cancel one of our dates I would’ve done it weeks ago.”

James grimaced, mortified. “I’m sorry. I know I should’ve tried talking to you but—”

“James, I’m not mad.”

“Still, it wasn’t rational of me and—”

“Are you trying to tell me that you acted impulsively? James, I’m pretty sure you unpacked all your bags at least once before coming here, probably before even calling Mark.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about the funeral?”

“Yes, Sally told me you already knew when you talked to her,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “Who did you ask?”

“Maria.”

“Of course,” Thomas rolled his eyes. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t know how to tell you that you couldn’t come. I didn’t want to put you in that sort of position.”

“It’s okay, I’m not mad,” he bit his bottom lip and nodded to the side. “Sit with me?”

Thomas did.

James fidgeted with his hands on his lap for a few moments. His right thigh was pressed against the couch’s armrest and the other was only a few inches away from Thomas’s. “How’s Aaron doing?” he asked with as much normality as he could conjure. His voice was higher than usual, but aside from that, he considered he sounded calm.

“He’s… well,” he scratched the back of his head and shrugged one shoulder, “he’s actually doing great, if you ask me. I mean, he’s…”

“He’s reacting, doing what he must.”

“Yeah. I don’t think I could, but he has a daughter and I guess he feels like he has to, for her, you know?”

“Yeah… how old is she?”

“Little Theo is six, I think.”

“Oh, shit.”

“Yeah,” he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It sucks. I’m not used to going to funerals, you know? At least, not of people I actually knew.”

“How many funerals have you attended to?”

“Uh…” Thomas grimaced, twisting his mouth as if he’d tasted something sour, “four, I think?”

“In your entire life time?”

“Hey, I’m not that old.”

James chuckled. “I know, but I’ve been to seven,” he shrugged one shoulder. “No one close, though. I can’t even imagine what Aaron is going through.”

“I don’t want to imagine it,” replied Thomas, frowning slightly.

James studied him for a moment before unceremoniously crossing the distance between them.

It was their first kiss. They’d been about to in the second and third dates, but first they couldn’t because Thomas ended up eating the desert with the non-nuts and then, well, that had been in fact how the tablecloth had caught fire, and that wasn’t precisely romantic. James thought they finally would do it while walking through the park in their fourth date, but if Thomas ever intended it, James didn’t notice. Then again, they both got very distracted by a squirrel and an owl fighting at some point, just before Mark made an appearance warning about the forthcoming sun and running off with his employer awkwardly.

It was just like a first kiss should be; soft, tender, the kind of kiss that drowns out the outside world and brings the other person closer. Their lips barely brushed for a few seconds, and when they separated, they smiled.

“I’d like to do that again, many times,” said Thomas, slightly out of breath.

James bit his bottom lip and nodded in agreement. “I’d like that very much, too,” he muttered, and after a heartbeat, leaned in again and joined their lips a little firmer, but still, the contact was pure tenderness. Thomas’s left arm encircled James’s shoulders and his right hand cupped his neck, thumb softly caressing the underside of his jaw in a gesture he’d done many times when preparing to drink the human’s blood, and James gasped into the kiss, unintentionally giving access to the vampire’s tongue to the inside of his mouth. It was welcomed, though, as James tightened his fists around the back of Thomas’s shirt, holding on for dear life, afraid he’d fall. All in all, if he hadn’t been so near the edge of the couch, he would’ve lounged back, but his position made it impossible. Still, the vampire stopped it all after only a few moments, gasping loudly.

“We should stop.”

“Why?” James whined, and Thomas grinned.

“Because I wouldn’t like to break you, darling, and the sun is about to come out,” he caressed his cheek softly and stood up. “Let’s talk more,” he licked his lips, “and kiss more tomorrow, okay? You’re still going to be living with me, right?”

“That’s my intention, yes,” he nodded.

“Very well.”

“Sleep well, Thomas.”

Thomas bent and dropped one last kiss on the human’s lips. “Oh, I will,” he winked. “You too, rest,” he whispered, and left. James needed a moment to recover from that, his heart racing as if he had run a marathon. He couldn’t tell how long he’d slept before Thomas arrived, but he was way too excited to go to bed then. He took his time returning the book to his shelf, and checked the nearby titles while he was at it. Since the moment he first stepped inside this study, the twelfth door to the right in the East Wing on the second floor, he had loved it, and after he learnt what books were there, he only fell harder. He didn’t want to ask Thomas if his blood had gave him away then, but it probably did. Could his blood also tell Thomas how much he wanted to be with him? He hoped it did. That way he wouldn’t need to put it into words.

The house wasn’t the same during the day. Specially coated, the curtains could be open without risking anybody’s safety, but still most were kept closed and were only opened at night. The hallways that during the night seemed elegant and warm turned lugubrious and endless during the day, beneath the dark mantle of the purple curtains. He thought the fact that Thomas wasn’t around also had to do with James’s own discomfort, but he’d been without Thomas at night, and it hadn’t been the same. It was as if the walls came to life as the sun went down, but would agonize once it was up in the sky again, and he figured it had a lot to do with the fact that it had been built for and by vampires, some lingering magic telling humans they didn’t belong there.

James truly didn’t belong there, not during the day. He locked himself in his old room and opened his laptop, intending to go back to working in his project, but his mind kept drifting away. He liked Thomas’s house, but it was Thomas’s house, because it was a vampire’s house. To fit in, he’d needed to change all his habits, risking a deficit of vitamin D just so they could eat together. He wanted to be with Thomas. He’d seen what it was like to be without him and he hadn’t liked it.

He stood up and went to open the curtains. They’d been open when he arrived, so he figured Sally had closed them, as if he weren’t a daytime creature. The sun outside burnt his eyes and his room didn’t look like his room at all. He usually woke up before the sun went down, but he never opened the curtains before six, except on those few occasions Sally had, just to wake him.

He closed them, and changed for his pajamas. He knew he wouldn’t get any work done, so he might as well rest until Thomas was ready for more kissing.



In the time he’d been apart from Thomas, he’d slept around ten or maybe eleven hours every day. He figured now that his life was looking up again, his sleeping habits would stop being so erratic, though that probably would need some time adjusting. Still, he wasn’t expecting to be awakened by a knock on his door at seven in the afternoon.

Disoriented and a little frightened, he quickly decided he wished he could wake up to Thomas’s shy smile for the rest of his life.

Thomas chuckled, and James realized with shocking horror that he’d said that out loud.

“Forgive me,” said the vampire. “I didn’t think you’d be sleeping still. I thought you were avoiding me.”

“Why would I avoid the best part of my life?” he blushed intensely and decided to drown himself in the shower. He cleared his throat. “Uh, I think I need, uh… you go downstairs and I’ll… join you.” He sighed into the kiss and chased his lips for another one when Thomas drew back. “It’ll only take me a minute.”

“More like forty,” Thomas sighed exaggeratedly. “Okay, I’ll be downstairs. Hurry.”

James nodded and watched the vampire disappear through the door before trying to remember how to move.

That first breakfast together felt like a weird parallel of their first date. For the first twenty minutes or so, conversation was strained and each kept their hands to themselves even when they clearly looked like they didn’t want to. For some reason, there was a wall between them and it was driving James mad, so he asked: “Why is this so weird?”

Thomas shook his head, wearing a helpless expression. “I have no idea,” he licked his lips. “Can I hold your hand?”

James nodded, and crossed half the distance himself. “Okay…” he cleared his throat. “Now what?”

“You’re tense,” said Thomas. “Why are you tense?”

“How exactly can you tell that? Besides, you’re tense too.”

“I’m tense because you’re tense. Are you sure you’re not having second thoughts about living here?”

Intrusive thoughts about the house during the day came to his mind, and he had to take a deep breath. “I am not.”

“You’re lying.”

How do you tell someone that you love them; that you love their house at night, but at day it freaks you out? He couldn’t, especially because it wouldn’t make any sense to the vampire. What was there to do during the day, when he was sleeping? There were solutions to it, he knew that. He could go out as soon as he woke up, and everything would be okay. He would never feel at home, but that was okay. That house wasn’t built for a human to feel at home there.

After so long in silence, he knew there was no way he was getting out of the conversation with an excuse like being tired or worried about something else, but he didn’t know what to do. Still, Thomas was waiting patiently for him, and James only felt worse for that. He was close to apologizing, but got interrupted by a maid that came to take the empty plates. The girl James didn’t know looked nervous, and he was positive Sally had in fact sent her. He just wondered why she didn’t come herself.

Thomas let go of his hand and gestured upstairs. “Let’s go to the study where we can be alone, shall we?”

James glanced at the girl and saw she was about to panic, so he nodded and tried to give her a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. Thomas had already started walking, and his pace was a little faster than the one he used when he wanted to walk by James’s side, so he walked even slower. He studied the floor and the walls, and realized he really liked Thomas’s house at night. He loved it. He loved the twelfth door to the right on the East Wing on the second floor, the books, the piano, the violins and the chimney that were inside, and he loved Thomas. He loved Thomas. He could ignore any discomforts if it meant he could be with Thomas. That sounded appeasing enough, didn’t?

He knew it didn’t. Thomas would want to know what discomfort he was talking about, and then he would be sad, and James would feel miserable over making Thomas sad. He didn’t know what to say about that issue that wouldn’t turn into a bigger thing than it was, so he said the first thing that popped into his head about anything else, and then stunned himself when he realized it was true.

“I’m just worried you’ll get bored of me,” confessed James with a dejected smile.

Thomas frowned. “I could never get bored of you, James. An eternity by your side wouldn’t be enough to get bored of you. You _create_ new worlds in your _sleep_!”

“You’d spend an eternity by my side?”

For a moment, James wished to go back in time and punch himself in the face before he could go and say that, but the smile that Thomas gave him took the air out of his lungs and any rational, regretful thought out of his mind.

“Of course I would. James, if you want…”

“Yes,” James whispered as he took a step closer to the vampire. “Yes, yes, I want that too.”

“Are you sure?” he licked his lips. “This is kind of an irrevocable decision,” he gave him a self-depreciative grin and ran a hand through his hair.

“No, dummy,” he held his right hand and dropped a tender kiss on his knuckles, “dying is an irrevocable decision, and as far as I know, it will always be an option to get away from you,” he winked.

Thomas arched his eyebrows. “Yes, I see now what you meant about how people said joking and winking were most definitely not your thing, my dear.” He beamed and squeezed James’s hand. “I heard it hurts,” he cupped his right cheek. “To turn, you’ll experience something like death.”

“It’s okay. It’ll be worth it.”

Thomas nodded. “I’ll prepare everything, and we’ll do it tonight. Unless there’s something you’d like to do before?”

James thought back to his normal routine, trying to find anything he’d need to do in the sun, but there was nothing. He shook his head. “Let’s do it now,” he bit his bottom lip, “before you realize what a terrible idea this is and regret it.”

Thomas chuckled. “I could never regret it,” he dropped a kiss on his forehead. “Come on. Let’s go to my room.”

About forty minutes later, James was starting to reconsider if it was really worth it, or so he told—yelled to—Thomas. The vampire winced and squeezed his hand. “It should pass in a few hours.”

“Hours?” James cried. “This is supposed to last for hours?”

“I tried to warn you—”

“No, you did not,” he twisted on the bed and squeezed his eyes shut. “You tend to omit the things you don’t feel comfortable discussing. It hurts, it hurts, it _hurts_!”

“Well yes, you’re technically _dying_.”

“Not all deaths are painful, Thomas!”

“Your body is changing on a molecular level. It ought to be painful! You’re getting eternal life in exchange!”

“I was okay with my limited life-span before you came along!”

“I know you want to blame me, but—”

“No, it really is your fault. You’re the only reason I’m doing this,” he ran out of breath from yelling so much and curled on himself when a particularly painful cramp came. “Embrace it,” he whimpered.

Thomas blinked, gripped the pale human’s shaking shoulders and kissed his forehead. “I do. I will always remember that. Thank you.”

James was in incredible pain. His veins were burning and his insides were twisting, all his muscles were contracting and his skin felt as if it was being pierced by a thousand needles, and his head was about to explode, but having Thomas there, with him, helped more than a little. It was a reminder of why he was doing what he was doing. Sure, he was in excruciating pain, but after tonight, he would never get sick again. He could stop worrying about eating something that could kill him, stop sneezing each time a door opened and too much dust came out, stop spending three quarters of winter in bed with fever… and he could be with Thomas, forever. It _was_ worth it, no matter what his abused brain wanted to think. It was worth it, if it meant he could start thinking of the manor as his home, of the books in the fourth study as his own, of the bed he was currently in as the place in which he could go to sleep every day, next to the vampire that was still tenderly holding his hand while he tossed and turned, trashing and blaming him.

It was worth it. It was _so_ worth it.

Thomas hushed him. “It should be over soon,” he whispered over his ear.

James swallowed and nodded clumsily. The whistle in his ears was louder, the fire in his veins hotter than ever, but he couldn’t feel his skin anymore, and his muscles ached but it was almost bearable. Almost, and he couldn’t tell how long it’d been. He knew his thoughts came slower than normal, and he knew Thomas never moved. He didn’t know at what point his eyes had closed, but he could tell when he opened them, the world was different. He gasped, and Thomas dropped a kiss on his knuckles.

“How are you feeling?”

It took James a moment to collect himself. He kept observing the room as much as he could without actually moving his head, because when he did, he needed to do it towards Thomas. He knew his eyes widened and he gulped. If Thomas had been beautiful before, he was even more now, when James was capable of noticing all the little details in his shirt’s fabric and the shades in his eyes, the texture of his hair and the gleam of his smile, everything was brighter, prettier, and simply astonishing. He licked his lips and nodded. “I’m feeling better.”

Thomas chuckled. “I bet. Hang on…” he leaned back to retreat a glass from the bedside table. “Here, drink this. You might find the taste a little… odd, but it’s good, and refreshing.”

James eyed the dark red liquid with some wariness, well-aware that it couldn’t be avoided, and straightened. He imagined he must have looked like a mess, but he could only find tenderness in Thomas’s eyes, so he tried not to think about it and took one cautious sip from the glass. His eyebrows arched. “It’s not so bad!”

Thomas snorted. “Well, that’s encouraging.”

James chuckled and ran a hand through his messy hair. “I mean it’s weird, not bad. I was expecting something terrible and it isn’t, but I can’t go and tell you that it’s the best beverage I’ve ever tasted because it’s not,” he shrugged, and grinned sheepishly. “But it’s good. I won’t mind having to drink it for the rest of eternity.”

Thomas hummed. “And what about this?” he joined their lips briefly. “Will you mind, having to do it for the rest of eternity?”

James gripped Thomas’s marvelous shirt and pulled him down for another, more passionate kiss. “I will mind whenever you’re not around to do it,” he licked his lips, and gasped when he noticed the vampire’s pupils dilating.

Thomas jumped on the bed and straddled him. “Oh, Mr. Madison, you’re so smooth when you want to,” tangling his hands on James’s hair, he joined their lips again. “You were always beautiful, but now you’re absolutely breathtaking. I don’t think I’ll let you leave my bed in years.”

“Whoever said I ever intended to?”



For a week, James woke up to wandering hands and passionate kisses. They would make love, sometimes lazily and others hurriedly, and then they would shower before breakfast, and then they wouldn’t separate much at all. Thomas didn’t exactly have a job, and neither did James, so they could simply talk and read and kiss through most of the night without a worry in the world. James knew that couldn’t last. That eventually they would need to go outside, talk to others, or at least do _anything_ aside from talking and kissing. Still, he enjoyed the time he had no reasons to, and didn’t even realize he forgot to charge his phone—for a week. Then one evening he woke up to find his phone on the bedside table, while Thomas was still asleep next to him, and he figured it had been Sally’s doing. She still didn’t like him very much, but he thought the way she rolled her eyes now was more fond than annoyed. Accommodating the pillow in his back, he turned on the damn thing and almost jumped out of his skin with the amount of messages he received. Guilt threatened with drowning him, but then Thomas passed an arm around his waist and mumbled something as he curled around him, and his chest stopped feeling so heavy. He took a deep breath and started answering, unsure of what to say beyond ‘ _Everything’s fine_ ’, and ‘ _Yeah, I moved_ ’. He hadn’t really thought that anyone would go to visit him.

“You’re thinking too much,” groaned Thomas, and dropped a kiss on his bicep. “Whatever it is, it’s not that bad.”

“I ignored my phone for a week. I think everybody thinks I killed myself.”

That woke Thomas up. He straightened on the bed and stared at James wide-eyed. “Well…” he bit his bottom lip, “I mean, you kind of died, but…”

“Thomas, please,” he rubbed his face with a hand, “Angelica will want to kill me—oh crap, she read my message.” Immediately, his phone started ringing and James threw it all the way to the opposite wall with a yelp.

“James, answer her.”

“Would you, if you were in my position?”

“Well, no, but if it makes you feel better, she’ll want to kill me as well.”

James nodded. “Yes. Probably more than me, actually.” He took a deep breath, and went to pick up his phone. It didn’t scratch, which was kind of impressive. Angelica was still calling.

“Answer her, James.”

With a gulp, he did. “Hello, Angelica?”

“ _James Madison Jr. I’m going to kill you and everything you love. Where are you?!_ ’

“Uh, I moved in back with Thomas.”

There was a heartbeat of silence, and then laughter. “ _Please don’t tell me you’ve been too busy getting laid to answer the phone_.”

“Well,” he bit his bottom lip, “actually, I forgot to charge it, and it died.”

“ _Let’s get together tomorrow. Leave while he’s asleep._ ”

“Uh…”

There was a loud gasp, and then: “ _You didn’t. Oh my god, you did. You did, didn’t you?_ ”

“I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

“ _Diner tonight at nine. Meet with me in Manhattan and come alone!_ ”

“Okay,” whimpered he, and the call was over.

Thomas gave him an awkward, tight smile and said: “Well, that wasn’t so bad.”

“She doesn’t want any witnesses so she can kill me with no worries.”

“Well, if it helps, the cops will be on your side. Try to stay away from flashlights and garlic, I heard those special flashlights are the new pepper spray for humans; and if she has anything that looks like a machete, run. You’re faster than her now.”

James frowned, and placed a hand on his hip as he licked his lips. “Garlic?”

“Yeah,” Thomas shrugged, “I’d like to kiss you hello when you come back safe and sound, and not have to wait for you to brush your teeth.”

James hummed and kissed him. He’d discovered blood made morning—afternoon?—breath considerably better. “I know why I forgot all about the outside world. I have a marvelous excuse. But you don’t.”

Thomas gasped, offended. “Excuse me? I have the most wonderful reason for forgetting all about the world,” he hugged him by the waist and pulled him over him, onto the bed again, “I’m sure everyone will understand.”

James arched one eyebrow and considered thrusting his hips against Thomas’s, but knew he had little time to leave. “I wouldn’t be so sure,” he licked his lips. “I need to go.”

Thomas groaned. “You’re going to face death, and you won’t even kiss me properly before?”

James kissed him on the cheek, and made his way to the bathroom. “We can celebrate I survived,” he winked, but his smile disappeared soon, “if I do.” Then, the click as he locked the bathroom door from the inside.

He would never know how Thomas rolled his eyes but stayed staring at the door with a silly grin on his face long after the water could be heard running, or that he cursed when he turned his own phone on and simply turned it off again.



It was the first time James left the house alone—and at all—and he was slightly worried. Mark had been happy about him coming back, but he also had gotten mad about Thomas drinking his blood directly from his neck, so he couldn’t tell what his reaction to his actual conversion would be. He should’ve known the man would merely wiggle his eyebrow and giggle like an idiot the minute he saw him and then bow exaggeratedly.

“Where to, sir?”

James rolled his eyes. “Please don’t call me that.”

Mark cackled, and it actually took him a minute or two to stop laughing enough to speak again. In that time, James got into the car, without waiting for the driver to open the door for him.

“You are my boss now!”

“I’m not your boss.”

“No, I guess you’re right. You’re just my boss’s boyfriend. Or is it fiancé already?”

Another thing James loved about being a vampire was that he could no longer blush. He felt as tense and embarrassed as if he could, though. “Please, stop talking.”

“Fine, fine, but you’ll have to tell me where to take you.”

“Manhattan, Mark, as always, please.”

“Very well.”

“I know you’re dying to ask. Do it.”

The driver chuckled. “Okay, okay… uh, jeez, where do I start?” he cleared his throat and his expression turned serious. “Do you love Mr. Jefferson?”

If James were to say he wasn’t expecting that question, he would be lying. He still was shocked, but figured Mark deserved an honest answer, so he nodded. “Yes. I believe I’ve been in love with him since the beginning, honestly.”

Mark nodded. “Yeah, everyone could tell. Though some feared that was just you, pretending so you could manipulate Mr. Jefferson. I mean, his infatuation with you could be seen from miles away, so…”

James snorted. “You mean you could see it.”

Mark stared at him through the rearview with a frown, but whatever he saw there made him arched his eyebrows. “Okay… then tell me about the conversion. Is it true that it hurts like a motherfucker?”



When Angelica told him she wanted to meet in her apartment, James was seriously afraid for his life, but he knew that after he’d been a terrible friend, _again_ , he had no say in it. Angelica’s apartment was a beautiful place that she shared with her two sisters, though the youngest only had moved with her last September when she started college, and the changes she’d implemented were noticeable, which said a lot about the youngest Schuyler’s personality. James had never met her and he already feared her.

“We won’t be disturbed,” informed Angelica, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her hip to one side. I told my sisters this conversation would be long.”

James gulped, and when Angelica gestured a chair, he sat.

“Well Jimmy, I got to tell you, you look…” she shook her head and James wanted to throw up, but then her expression turned fond and she sat in front of him, “really good. I’m sorry, I’ll stop torturing you. I mean, you were an ass, but I guess it’s understandable. Just… don’t disappear like that, okay? It’s scary when you’re MIA.”

“I’m sorry,” James bit his bottom lip and held her hand over the table. “But how do I look? Am I really different? Can you tell that I’m a…?”

Angelica rolled her eyes but squeezed his hand. “Yes, James, of course I can tell. Your skin is perfect and your eyes are like, weird, and you just…” she shook her head, narrowing her eyes slightly, “I’m not sure what is it, but you can just tell, you know? I mean, I’m sure you could pass as a human if you tried, but you’re not trying, you know what I mean?”

James frowned. “I wouldn’t know how to.”

“I’m sure your boyfriend could teach you.”

When James didn’t correct her, she grinned. “So things between you two are pretty serious, huh?”

“Well,” he swallowed, “we did just promise eternity to each other and that sort of thing, you know? I mean, it’s not like we’re married, but…”

“Oh my god, James, congratulations… I always knew you loved him.”

By now, James was starting to think that that thing about vampires not blushing was bullshit because there was no way his face wasn’t burning. It definitely felt that way, but maybe he was just psychotic. “But what about you? What can you tell me about this week I’ve been gone?”

She arched one eyebrow and let go of his hand. “No way, mister. My life is as unassuming as ever. Yours, on the other hand…” she bit her bottom lip. “How is it?”

“Well,” he licked his lips, “it’s strange. I can hear more, which is great. I don’t think I’ve sneezed like, ever, since I was turned, and I can see so much more! But,” he leaned back in the chair and crossed one leg over the other, “my sense of smell is super acute now, and I kind of hate that. I think I actually crave for my allergies so I could just, stop.”

She threw her head back as she laughed, and James noticed her carotid. She noticed him noticing and covered her neck with a hand, arching an eyebrow. “Should I worry about that?”

“No,” he licked his lips. “I wouldn’t. Not because I have any special self-control, I just wouldn’t know how, I think,” he frowned. “Drinking anything from a living being doesn’t exactly sound appealing to me. Perhaps if I were to do it, I would like it, but I don’t want to try. Besides, Thomas is rich. Like, really, really rich, and has many human servants that now I think I can scent in the glasses we use, but I try not to think about it,” he ran a hand through his hair. “It’s a little weird, but…” he smiled, “but it’s all worth it.”

If Angelica had had any doubts about that, they all disappeared when she saw James’s face. She invited him to stay for dinner even if she didn’t have any blood for him, and James surprised her when he told her he could still eat. He didn’t find it as appealing as before, and flavors were all a little more overwhelming so he could never taste curry again—not that he liked it before, so it wasn’t a terrible loss—and he had brought a purple tainted bottle with an identified content that they both refused to acknowledge.

James hoped all his friends and acquaintances would be as supportive and understanding, but he couldn’t help to fear future meetings anyway. He imagined Maria would be on his side, but he never asked her if she regretted being turned. He knew the man that done it hadn’t been a good man. What if she got offended? And what about Thomas’s born-vampire friends, would they judge him?

He should find out soon enough. He considered Aaron Burr a friend, and hoped the vampire would answer honestly what Thomas would otherwise misdirect and avoid. Still, when Thomas told him Aaron would be visiting for lunch, James got nervous.

It was the first time Thomas would see Aaron since the funeral, and for James, the first time he would see him ever since before his wife died. It was decisively awkward for both of them, and none of them was good at trying to light the mood with humor. In fact, they were quite terrible at it. Maria had texted them both warning them about refusing to make any jokes, at all, for the entire night, and that only made them more nervous.

“This is ridiculous,” said Thomas. “We’re friends. He’ll understand if I screw up, right?”

James shrugged, smiling sheepishly, and Thomas sighed heavily, sitting down on the couch. “This is going to be a mess. Why is he visiting? He should stay away until we all forget he ever suffered so we don’t feel awkward around him.”

“Thomas, that is terrible.”

“I know, but he knows I’m like this,” he threw his head back, hitting it against the backrest. “I know I will tell something inappropriate. I shouldn’t be allowed near suffering people, I have no tact whatsoever. I know I’ll ask about his daughter or something and I’ll make everything awkward. And knowing you, you might start crying. Aaron hates that.”

“I will not,” whined James, though he knew that was a possibility he shouldn’t look down on. “But,” he licked his lips, “perhaps I should let you two alone at some point, right?”

Thomas stared at him in shock. “You plan to abandon me with the mourning widower?”

“Oh my god, Thomas, for all that is good, don’t you call him that to his face!”

Thomas rolled his eyes, but started thinking of a reason for James to leave them alone, understanding it would be better for everyone involved—everyone but Thomas, really, but he could be a considerate person, too.

At the end he didn’t need to worry. It was Angelica’s sister’s birthday, and he was the only one invited, which made sense, since Thomas hadn’t even known Angelica had a sister. Anyhow, it meant James would have to go as soon as lunch was over.

Lunch with Aaron was hardly awkward, ever. The Burr had always been good at small talk and was good at guiding the conversation away from any conflictive issue, all the while with a smile on his face and a glass on his hand. Still, the moment James left them, Thomas stiffened in his seat and looked away from him.

“Aren’t you going to say anything about it?”

Aaron arched an eyebrow. “Well, talk about an unsurprising turn of events.”

Thomas pursed his lips. “Are you going to judge me?”

“No, Thomas, I mean it. You actually made me lost a bet to Maria because it took you so long.”

Thomas choked on his drink and finally dared to stare at his eyes. “What?”

Aaron shrugged one shoulder and offered him a napkin. “Back when you were still making the play, things looked like they were going alright, so that’s when Maria and I made the bet. At first I gave you four months, but she laughed so much I decided to throw it back to opening night. She said it would take you at least eight months, but less than a year, and I actually thought she was ridiculous,” he shook his head. “You bastard, she almost lost as well and then you had to go and make her win.”

“You better not have given me that terrible advice just so she wouldn’t win your stupid bet, Burr.”

“No, Thomas,” he rolled his eyes, “I did not think of my own personal gain when giving you advice over your ridiculously dramatic love life.”

Thomas crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. “Like you’re one to talk!” he bit his tongue, but the words had already left his mouth.

Aaron arched his eyebrows and smirked. “My love life hasn’t been that dramatic at all, Jefferson. Yes, it ended a little soon, but we figured we loved each other quite early on our relationship and didn’t dance on our toes while hurting us with miscommunication. You know, like mature, healthy adults do.”

Thomas knew he shouldn’t have worried. James worried too much. Aaron was his friend, they’d known each other for forever, and he wouldn’t be offended for a couple of rude comments, even if he was suffering. Thomas wondered if James could’ve noticed that he was, because for him it wasn’t easy to see. His easy smile, his nonchalant gestures and his unwavering voice wouldn’t give him away, but James could be pretty perceptive sometimes and he knew they’d become quite close in the months they worked on the play together. He knew he’d been too distracted to notice something was going on, but it had a lot to do with Aaron being such a good actor. The downside to that was that he never could be sure of what he honestly believed. He seemed to believe James and Thomas were something unavoidable, but that didn’t mean he approved of them. Thomas didn’t really mind, but it did annoy him to not know that sort of thing, especially when he knew people would talk. People always talked, and he knew even his best friends talked behind his back—or else, there wouldn’t have been any stupid bets. Still, he hadn’t stopped to think that they could talk to James as well, behind Thomas’s back.

When he realized it happened, several weeks later, he had been too focused on how he was going to tell James something to notice the man staring at him with interest. They were lying in bed together, Thomas had been staring into nothing while James read, but he had left his book on the bedside table at some point and Thomas hadn’t even noticed.

“Why did you ask me if anyone had ever drunk my blood from my neck, the first time we met?”

“Well,” he licked his lips and accommodated the pillow he was using, “if the answer would’ve been yes, I would’ve told you not to worry since there was no need for me to do it.”

James arched his eyebrows. “And you couldn’t say it anyway?”

“Do you regret I ever drunk your blood?”

The vampire was a master of misdirection, but something on his urgent tone told James he actually wanted to know, so he was honest: “Of course not, it felt almost as good as sex and I got to feel your lips on my skin at a time I wouldn’t have dreamed of it.”

“Oh,” if Thomas could blush, he certainly would have. He grinned nonetheless. “I got to admit I miss it sometimes, but it was a small price to pay for your eternal company.”

James grinned, charmed, but knew Thomas well enough to then say: “There’s something unpleasant you need to tell me. What is it?”

Thomas sighed. “Aaron is visiting tomorrow. He’ll arrive early and sleep here.”

James frowned and stooped closer. “So? He came two months ago and everything was okay.”

“Yes…” he licked his lips, “but tomorrow he’s coming with his daughter, Theo.”

“Oh,” James cleared his throat. “Yes, that may be… more complicated.”

“She’s adorable. I promise. I don’t even like kids but little Theo’s very mature and polite. Honestly, if Aaron’s ever done anything right, it’s been raising her the way he has.”

“Okay,” he nodded, but he wasn’t convinced. James didn’t like children either.

Perhaps if he would’ve known how Thomas was about other kids, he would’ve believed him, but he didn’t and Thomas wasn’t about to tell him. It wasn’t exactly something to be proud about, but it would’ve saved James a night of worry.

Still, he was convinced soon enough after he met her. Theodosia was the most adorable little girl: smart, witty, respectful and eloquent, she was a lot like her father, but cute. Not that Aaron wasn’t an attractive man—he most certainly was—but Theodosia was beautiful in that way little princesses were, like puppies and unicorns.

James never liked children, but Aaron’s daughter wasn’t annoying at all, she was charming instead. Besides, it was nice seeing Aaron smiling, especially after the last time he’d seen him.

Still, questions directed at him weren’t charming no matter who was asking.

“Is it true that you make theatre for a living?” asked the little girl.

“Well, I write plays, yes. I don’t actually go on stage.”

“But the entire thing comes out of your brain?”

“Uh, yes,” he nodded. “I mean,” he licked his lips, “I get help for a lot of stuff, like the dancing, and the things we can take on stage, and other things.”

“What is it like?”

She seemed very excited, and James feared he would ruin for her something she really liked, because he was incapable of explaining things to children.

Fortunately, Thomas appeared to notice his despair, for he said: “You should ask your father, he helped us organize the last one.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“It was very fun,” admitted Aaron, “but I don’t think I’ll be able to help you with another play, Thomas.”

“What? Why not?”

“I’ll be busy,” he shrugged and looked out the window. “I’ll be moving to the city and I’ll have a lot more paperwork now.”

Jefferson rolled his eyes and groaned. “Burr, don’t tell me you became a representative of the Council of New York.”

Aaron chuckled. “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”

“It _is_ a bad thing.”

James turned to see Thomas with a bewildered look, but judging by Aaron’s expression, Thomas’s opinion hadn’t been a secret. Still, after Aaron and little Theodosia left and they were finally alone in their bed, he asked: “You never considered working with the Council yourself?”

“God, no,” Thomas shook his head and waved a hand. “I’m fine the way I am right now. Those guys are…” he grimaced, “they’re doing a good job, I’ll give them that. The world could’ve gone to hell and it didn’t, but…”

“I would think you’d like being in a position of power.”

“Oh, but I _am_ in one,” he smirked. “It’s just not one of public service. But I think that producing theatre counts as public service, don’t you think?”

James snorted and threw his head back with the laughter that followed. He wouldn’t say it out loud, but he agreed. He had many ideas yet for the play he was writing, and he couldn’t wait to tell Thomas all about it. He’d been a fan, but he was also a harsh critic, and had good ideas. They made a good team. And thinking about writing more plays for Thomas to enjoy… was starting to drive his life. He always liked writing, and there had been a time in which he thought writing was enough, but then when suddenly he found himself having nothing, he discovered it wasn’t. Writing couldn’t fill his days the way it had when he was in school, but when he had other things to do—books to read, things to discuss, lips to kiss—he found he also was getting more and more ideas, and he couldn’t wait to write them…

Well, he could wait a little bit, if it meant he could stay in bed with Thomas a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much, to everybody who read this far, who left kudos and comments, you're all very lovely and make the world a better place!
> 
> Now while this finishes Thomas and James story, I still have a lot more for this universe, and they will certainly make more than one appearance on everybody else's stories, so stay tuned! If you want? That sounded like an order and I don't like giving orders... anyway, I really just wanted to say thanks! And that I hope you really liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading so far, I hope you enjoyed it!  
> I apologize for any mistakes, since English is not my first language.


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